the puppet

part 1: the arrival

Jasmine, a girl from Tunisia, found herself stranded on an unknown road surrounded by a forest.

Her car hit a spike in the road, and she caught a flat tire.

no phone signal

No town is seen on the horizon.

No cars are spotted on the road.

The sun is setting.

The air is getting chillier.

The voices in her head won't stop screaming for help.

Her heart shivers

her body succumbing to fear

The night is starting as she desperately waits for some help.

but she saw a light.

something flickering

Maybe its hope.

It was an old pickup truck.

She ran with all of her strength to the middle of the road.

She waved as she wanted to embrace the hopes of survival.

an old man in his 50s wearing a lumberjack jacket, a trucker hat, he was built like a beast despite his age.

Jasmine begged the man to help her reach the nearest town, but she didn't have the heart to leave all of her belongings in the car

He had a warm smile on his face, and he accepted.

He towed her car and went on the road.

As she sat on the chair, something more of an instinct kept screaming danger.

as if a thousand knives were stabbing her back.

But she had to accept the risk as it was. Her only way of survival

He started his radio and kept changing the channels.

but he stopped when he heard about murders in a nearby town.

He had a worried look and then took a glimpse at Jasmine.

and by then, her heart had stopped.

Her eyes went blank.

Oh, I'm sorry, he said calmly...I have a daughter the same age as you.

She's been missing for weeks now.

I just patrol the area every day until this time of the night looking for her, but nothing has been found.

I fear for my baby girl, he said, as a tear dropped from his face.

Jasmine calmed down as she felt some humanity from the man.

He said, "I am sorry; I haven't introduced myself. My name is YaKami, and I am a lumberjack that lives in the next town up ahead

My daughter owns a tavern there.

If you would like, you can stay in her room upstairs for the night.