The Puppeteer's Assistant

Chapter 2: A few months since

"As days turned to weeks, from weeks turned to months I started to pick out the bits and pieces of who the Puppeteer really was and try to put it all together. He slaughtered people day by day, and as I watched from the creaked door I was mortified at such a display. And yet, I didn't do anything about it. I COULDN'T do anything about it. I was too scared.. All I could do is watch, and stare at his masterpiece. What I didn't know however, is what he did to his victims after he was finished with his art of slaughter.."

Vanessa sat on the couch in the mysterious home of the Puppeteer's reading one of his books and drinking a nice cup of milk tea. She looked out the window to see when the man was coming back, and he wasn't quite home yet. Working these past three months for him wasn't so bad, but it wasn't that good either. Being here alongside him as an assistant gave her a warm shelter and love that she wanted, but it was also quite brutal seeing how he took out his victims..

Bored and tired of just sitting there all day, she got up and decided to take a look around his home. "After All, he isn't home so.. Why not?" Vanessa questioned herself as she explored the whereabouts of the place. She stumbled upon a secret door, for when she opened it a staircase appeared right before her. "Strange.." She grabbed a torch lighting up the basement entrance and lit her way down the steps. She remembered the other entrance that led down there, but this time it was longer. Not only that, it was a totally different level; lower than the one she's used to where the Puppeteer normally killed his prey.

When she reached the bottom, candles started to light up on their own, and Vanessa placed her torch down. The plastered walls looked like the paint was peeling off, and unusual paintings were hung all around. She stepped over shattered pieces of glass and crimson drops of blood that stained the floor to find herself infront of a curtain. A rope was on her right, which she pulled to reveal her what was hidden behind it. The curtains opened up; unveiling a few machines of different uses. Vanessa looked down to see a stuffed animal on the floor with a tear in its paw, just laying there on the ground with no one to repair it. 

"Hmm.." Vanessa scooped up the toy and looked at a sewing machine covered in cobwebs and dust all over it. She gave it a bit of cleaning and placed the puppet in the machine "Now, how do I start this thing.." She pressed a few buttons until it got going. After a few stitches up the middle however; it stopped. "What.." When she placed her hand in the machine strings started to wrap around her hand and a burning liquid ran down it, melting the skin as the needle scratched her hand up countless times. Vanessa let out a blood screeching sound and quickly jerked her hand out- the machine breaking down moments later.

Just before Vanessa was about to let out a scream the Puppeteer appeared behind her and covered her mouth with one of his hands, holding her close to his chest "Whatever you do.. Do NOT scream.." Vanessa nodded in response and obeyed his order, holding her voice back with tears of pain and fear. The Puppeteer picked her up gently and carried her up the steps, where he placed her back on the couch. He started to wrap her hand up in a cloth made of silk and wiped her tears away. "Does it hurt?"

"N-not anymore.." Vanessa answers with a sniffle. 

"Good," Puppeteer says, standing up. He goes over by the windows to close the blinds. "You have got to be more careful, Vanessa. Your just.. So careless sometimes.." Vanessa looks down at her silk wrapped hand and frowns. "I'm sorry, Puppeteer.." She says apologetically. Puppeteer sighs and gives her a forgiving smile "It's okay, I should've warned you before hand not to touch anything. Now lets take a look at that hand again.." He comes back over and sits beside Vanessa on the couch, unwrapping her hand. All that was left of the hand was just a simple skeleton hand, which left Vanessa in shock.

"H-how..??" She wriggled her boney fingers of her right hand in amazement. "You see, that machine you used to repair that toy is a magical sewing machine. It was very old so its very dangerous to use. I used to use it to make puppets and all kinds of stitched up toys long ago, but now it doesn't work anymore. Bloody hell, its totally busted now after you used it!" "Y-yeah.. But is there a way to turn my hand back to normal..?" Vanessa asks.

The Puppeteer shakes his head "I'm afraid not," He says, running his fingers over her skeleton hand "You probably want to leave now, don't you..? I understand.." "N-no! That's not it at all!!" Vanessa gripped her hands on his tightly, looking into his eyes seriously. "If it weren't for my curiosity, this wouldn't have happened! My curiosity just got the best of me- that's all!"

The Puppeteer let out a light chuckle and hugged Vanessa close. "Your such a sweet and loyal girl, Vanessa. I love you so much.. You make me so proud.." Vanessa hugged him back and sighs in relief. The Puppeteer opened his mouth up to speak again. "I'm sure your skeleton hand will come into good use, one day.." And so the two sat there hugging for the longest time, Vanessa staying in his command. 

"That was the first step to my worst mistake.. Because everything I loved about him, was really all a big LIE."