BACKSTORY: Yes, my husband and I have clown costumes and an array of clown gags and tricks. Yes, we taught our children and grandchildren to be clowns and periodically offer Clown School for the little ones. And I always keep two red clown noses in my purse just in case.

Over the years, starting with Stephen King, I think, the concept of clowns has changed. We live next to a grade school. When my daughters were little, I wore my clown costume over to the school to be a featured guest in their classrooms. Kids mobbed me and delighted in my every antic.

Last year, I walked my grandchildren to school in my clown costume and the kids on the playground screamed in horror and ran away.

No matter how you look at it, being a clown has amazing power.