Sign

The clown danced around holding a cheerfully painted sign that read: YOU ARE AS HAPPY AS YOU'LL EVER BE. Gina guessed the clown was maybe 65 years old. His face was painted into a smile, but his lips curved downward; not necessarily into a frown, more like gravity pulling at complacency. He was, she noticed, downright sprightly for his age. Seeing her, he stopped dancing and held out his hand. As she reached out to him, her ears were assaulted by a familiarly irritating buzz. Rolling over, she opened her eyes and wondered whether or not to take the pill.