Puppetry

Six: One Large Marionette (Etan)

I place the drill onto the table, careful not to bloody any of my other tools. Emerald looks so beautiful in the light, eyes alight with green. She's still unconscious.

The puppet strings slide through her palms with ease now. She is my puppet now. Her hair covers her painted face slightly. It smells like buttercream and ginger; she must like baking.

For a moment, it was just her and I. Until the bell from the shop rung out. A customer. I half-heartedly made my way through the narrow brick passageway that desperate this room from the shop. It was a clever place, leading out to the back of the shop, under the guise of a staff room. I emerge to the main shop, marionettes greeting me, their happy smiles frosted on their faces. The sunlight from the shop window is almost blinding.

There, in front of the help desk, is-

No. It can't be...

"Sherbet?" I ask. She looks up from her shoes, turquoise eyes fixated on mine.

"E-Etan, yes? How did you know my name?" She examines the puppets with such passion. I like her.

"Lucky guess." I mumble. "What brings you here, anyways?"

"I'm looking for a puppet. A marionette, preferably."

She looks around the room again. Her gaze averts to a shelf of the same type of puppet. She picks one up. It's a female one, with such great big brown eyes and black hair like ocean waves. A white lace dress comes to her knees. Their is a moment of quiet, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.

I don't remember making that puppet.

"Say, you wouldn't have anything bigger, would you?" She sets the puppet down.

Bigger? Is she on to me? Hell no.

"That is a special demand, so I would need to go into my...workshop to make it. It would only take an hour, at the most. I've heard a great café is down the road."

She nods, and exits the shop. Leaving me to myself. This is perfect, yet saddening. I didn't get time to play around with my puppet.

When I come back to the 'workshop', I see that Emerald is fully awake. I brace myself for a torrent of screams.

"Wh-Who was tha-t?" She asks, inaudibly.

"A customer." I reply, somehow reverting back to my evil mode. I don't want to though. "They placed an order for a large marionette."

Quiet. I make my way to the tray of tools, much to her discomfort.

"I hope you ain't afraid of needles."

(Authors Note: First chapter with Etan! Yay! I have to say though, I really want a more relaxed atmosphere with this story. Anyway, hope you guys stick around for the next chapter!)