Not by the Strings, Please.

I'm Not a Puppet

"Mommy, come on, hurry up! We got to get to the Prize Corner!" A child's voice startled me from my dazed state.

"Alright, dear. Just don't drop your tickets." A woman's voice scolded. I grinned widely. Another child comes to claim their prize. I heard the man count the tickets, then I heard excited footsteps, then I heard a hollow knocking on my box.

"Come out, come out! I want some candy!" The child said, banging on my box. My smile faded.

This child...spoiled...insatiable...this was always the worst part of my day. There was always a handful of children like this, and it made me sad to see the others go along with it like they have no other choice. Not that they do, of course...just...it's the worst possible thing to have to deal with at this place in the day.

Around the clanging of the child's fist, I heard Pop Goes the Weasel playing and I heard the employee in the room tell the child again and again to be patient or to stop hitting the box or to wait for me to wake up. The child didn't listen, and I was quickly losing my patience. I put my hands on my ears and tried to muffle the horrid sound. Something in my heart clattered about, making me feel stuck in two different emotions. Anger...it was rising...but I couldn't let it out. I couldn't.

It's almost over, the song is almost over, then I can give him his prize, and he'll leave...it'll be okay. And when Pop Goes the Weasel made its final verse, the child said five words that snapped my self-control like a toothpick.

"Come on, you stupid puppet!"

The world around me stood still, and when I was ejected from the box, I couldn't hold myself back.

"I AM NOT A PUPPET!" I shrieked, holding my hands above my head aggressively. Everyone in the room froze, their eyes wide with sudden terror. Then, all my emotions faded into shock as I realized what I had just done. Then, the child looked up at me, and his eyes filled with tears. My heart broke immediately at the sight. I had made a child cry. I shrank back into my box, holding my hands close to me, thanking my lucky stars I didn't hurt anyone. Piercing sobs shattered the silence in the room. The mother immediately rushed to comfort the distraught child by throwing her arms around him and looking backwards at the employee with a angry expression.

I looked between the humans a few times, hearing the mother rant off about how terrible I am and how the child won't be able to sleep tonight, and how she's never going to come back here. In retaliation, the man explained to her that this has never happened before and that they'll make sure that the problem is dealt with accordingly. I gasped at hearing him say that. Problem? I...I just...well...see where I'm coming from here! That child called me a puppet! If you were being called a puppet, what would you do?!

The mother ranted a bit more before she gave a big "F you" to the entire establishment, then stomped out the door with her child's hand firmly grasped in her own. I felt ready to cry. I didn't mean to, I really didn't. After just a few moments, two other men came into the Prize Corner asking the employee what the ruckus was.

"Old puppet there blew up at that kid." The employee said, taking off his hat and rubbing his brow. The two men glanced over at me with a suspicious expression, then resumed their questioning. I didn't want to hear them. I had no more room in my heart for more insults and neglect. Shutting myself out of everything, I curled up in my box and waited. Waited for everyone to leave. Waited for the sun to set. Waited for my music box.

Hours passed, and no more children came into the Prize Corner. The employee in the room must have sensed my grief, and so he left me alone.

When the day finally ended, the employee said nothing as he went home for the night, shutting the door quietly behind him. Darkness crept into my box faster than I could realize, and it made me feel even worse. It was all my fault. All my fault. Then I heard a harsh cranking noise as my melody began to play. I immediately began to recover from my depression. I shifted my body into a more comfortable position, and closed my eyes. A new night guard must have came. I sighed with relief. Maybe if I fell asleep with my music tonight, I would feel a lot better tomorrow. Maybe the child would come back so I could tell him I didn't mean to and I was sorry. Maybe I could give him an extra special present and we could be friends again.

I stopped myself. Friends. What did that remind me of? I went through every recent event. Past the waiting and sorrow, past my unsolicited outburst, to last night. No. Wait a moment. Last night. Mangle. I promised I would visit her. I sighed, not wanting to have to leave. No. I'm going to. A promise is a promise. I opened my box lid and leaned it against the wall. Looking around, I was extra observant. Just to make sure those other animatronics weren't stalking me again. Then I looked up at the camera. It was currently online. Which meant the night guard was looking at me.

I thought a moment, then decided to be amiable. I smiled wide and waved up at the little red light. The camera immediately went offline. Hmm. Peculiar. Perhaps he wasn't in the mood. Shaking my head, I climbed out of my box and stood up straight. It wasn't often I got to stand up and walk around, and doing so made me feel like I had heavy weights strung around my ankles and wrists. I took a shaky step forward and nearly tripped over myself. Another step. Another wobble. Another step. Another wobble. I was doing better than I thought. Before I even knew it, I was standing in front of the Prize Corner door.

I pressed my hands against it and gave it a push. The door swung open without a hitch. I had to stifle a light yip of joy. I felt so much like one of the others, and it was pleasing to know I could do everything they could do. But then again, if I was like them, why didn't anyone acknowledge me? I stopped myself. No. No. You can't get all depressed now, Marionette. Not right now.

Stepping into the hallway, I looked both ways to make sure there wasn't any animatronics coming. It was no use. It was too dark to see. I sighed, then decided to wing it. I stepped out into the open and headed off towards the Kid's Cove. When I reached the door, I heard a strange noise from within before I could push the door open. I pressed the side of my head against it softly to get a better understanding of this strange noise.

It sounded like static. Sad static. Almost like...crying. Was Mangle crying? I shook my head. I would find out soon enough. Pressing the door open gently, I poked my head in and looked around. Not seeing anything but darkness, I spoke out, only to hear my voice echo back.

"Mangle? Are you there?" The crying ceased.

"Marionette. You're back." Mangle's voice was cracked with misery.

"Didn't I say I would?" I said, sitting on the floor in front of the door. Mangle looked down, her parts rattling noisily as she did.

"Thank you, Marionette. I appreciate it." She said quietly. I tilted my head, sweeping my eyes over her quickly.

"You look different tonight. The children dress you up?" I asked her, meaning it more as a joke than a serious observation.

"Of course. Every day." Mangle said, not grasping the point of my joke. I sighed, putting my hands in my lap.

"Right. Sorry. I...I was joking with you." I apologized. Mangle looked up at me, her blue eye clanking noisily in her metal skull as if it would roll out at any moment.

"I heard about the incident in the Prize Corner." She said. I sat up quickly.

"You...You did?" I asked uneasily, starting to fidget tensely. Did word get out? Damn...I was hoping it wouldn't...Mangle nodded once.

"Yeah. You shouted out at some kid, huh? Why did you do that? How did you do that?" Mangle asked me, her ears perked.

"He...He...called me puppet...and I...lost it...and...look, I don't want to talk about it." I murmured, glancing off to the side.

"I can't believe you were brave enough to do it. Honestly, I can't. You don't have any idea how many times a day I want to get up and bite some kid's brain out. But you...you took it to the next level. That's crazy!" Mangle said, her voice a scratchy chuckle.

I gave her a sad look.

"I don't feel proud of myself..." I said quietly, curling my slim body close. Mangle shook her head, drawing sparks from parts that rubbed too close together.

"At least you didn't kill anyone, right?" Mangle said. I flinched at the word kill.

"I...suppose so..." I mumbled. Mangle sighed, walking to me and sitting beside me with a cacophony of loud scraping.

"Hey. Come on. If I know kids, he probably had it coming. After all, you have a name. They should know it." Mangle tried to brighten the moment. And I must admit, she was succeeding. Every word perked me up a bit. I smiled.

"Thank you, Mangle. It...means a lot to me." I said, looking up at her. She tilted her head, and her eye rolled to the side in her socket.

"Of course."