Framed by Fame
The prison was loud.
But inside him — silence.
Each day blurred into the next.
Until one evening… something changed.
He was walking back to his cell when he heard it.
“Stop moving, freak!”
A group of inmates had surrounded someone in the corner yard.
At first, he didn’t care.
But then he saw the face—
Painted white. Red lips. Black eyes.
A joker.
Not the funny kind.
The broken kind.
They beat him.
Laughed as they kicked his ribs.
Mocked him for smiling through the pain.
Something inside him snapped.
He charged forward.
“Leave him alone!”
Fists flew. Bones cracked.
He fought them off — every single one.
His knuckles bled. His breath was heavy.
But he stood his ground.
The joker looked up… and smiled.
That night, the cell was quiet.
He sat on his bed, nursing bruises.
Then a voice whispered from the shadows.
“Why did you help me?”
He looked up.
The joker was sitting in the dark corner of the cell — perfectly still.
“I don’t like bullies,” he muttered.
The joker nodded slowly.
“You’re different.”
Silence.
Then the joker leaned forward.
“I’m not just anyone.”
“I’m from a lineage of cursed jokers… sorcerers in disguise.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Right. And I’m the King of Mars.”
The joker ignored the sarcasm.
“Every lunar month… the jokers gather. Hidden from the world. We share power. Secrets. Curses.”
He scoffed.
“You’ve really lost it, haven’t you?”
“I’m serious.”
“Sure. Magic jokers. Secret meetings. Let me guess — dragons too?”
The joker grinned.
“Tonight is the first night of the lunar month. And I want to send you there.”
He leaned back on his bed, shaking his head.
“You’re insane.”
“No. I’m offering you power. Revenge. I’ll get you out of here — and all I ask is one thing…”
The joker’s eyes gleamed.
“Spy on them. Just listen. Watch. Don’t speak. If you follow my instructions exactly — you’ll be safe. If you mess up once… you’ll vanish.”
He stared in disbelief.
“You’re really committed to this fantasy, huh?”
A pause.
“Fine. Let’s say I play along. What happens if I die?”
The joker smirked.
“Then at least you’ll die outside these walls.”
He stayed silent.
Then finally…
“Okay. Let’s see where your madness takes me.”
The joker stood.
Raised his hand.
“Close your eyes.”
He did.
And when he opened them—
The cell was empty.
The bed was cold.
And the man… was gone.