Their painted faces seemed to mock my fear. Their eyes were black, hollow voids that stared into my soul. Their exaggerated movements were jerky and unnatural. The flickering lights revealed their decaying costumes, vivid in color but also stained with an unusual substance. Their over-sized shoes tapped a rhythm on the wooden floor that always sent chills throughout my whole body. No matter how far I ran, I would find myself running in an infinite loop. It didn’t matter how loud I screamed, I would soon realize that there was no one there to rescue me. Every second, the air got thicker, to the point that I could no longer breathe. My last hope of survival was to close my eyes and pray that I get to open them again. Drenched in cold sweat and gasping for air, the feeling of horror got quickly replaced by the comforting familiarity of my surroundings. I took a big, shaky breath, grateful that it was all over.

I was terrified of clowns as a kid, but that nightmare was my favorite. It was the reason that I was excited to fall asleep every night. I had this nightmare at least once a week, and it felt like it was hunting me down. Eventually, I learned to love every single second of it.

One day, I opened my eyes to see the same painted faces in the same dark place. Everything was routine at this point. It was like watching a movie over and over again, until you can recite the whole thing with your eyes closed. Not only did I know what would happen next, but I realized that I could manipulate the outcome of my dream. That realization helped me build up the courage to fight back. From that moment, I knew that nightmare would be my favorite.

The clowns couldn't get near me, my sharp sword and indestructible shield wouldn’t let them. My awesome ninja moves intimidated them. “Take another step, I dare you!” I shouted as their no longer terrifying, painted faces started melting from fear. My favorite nightmare helped me to get over my fear of clowns. Most importantly, though, it changed my mindset. As I’m writing this, I can see the clown sticker on my door. The clown sticker that reminds me that I will be just fine when I’m in uncomfortable situations, that I will find a way out of what seems to be an infinite loop, and that instead of running away, most times the solution is to face my fears.