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Puppetmaster

Ttitle By CJ Wolfe

Chapter 7 – Gimme Some Truth

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Henry’s bus arrives at the terminal at the school, it is just a 2-minute jog to the faculty theatre, where his show is running. He is late so he straps his backpack made of Kevlar fabrics onto his back and runs through the grassy outbound yard through the courtyard garden, stained glass windows from classrooms looking out to eager or late students organized symmetrically watch over the area, then through an arch separator of the center square to the back of the school where the theatre lies. The rain-drenched square makes the ground soft and muddy like a world war trench, Henry has to stride carefully to not be consumed by the ground and lose his footwear. Henry wears high-top hiking shoes on rainy days like these.

Henry walks up the staircase as Gabriella and Erica rush out, he is startled as they approach him.

Gabriella, an Italian student with brown hair notices Henry and warns,” Henry, on my word am I glad to see you!”

Henry smirks,” Gaby, you seem excited.” –

She quickly interludes, “The puppets are gone.”

Henry laughs, “Woah, calm down, what do you mean, they’ re gone?”

She continues interrupting Henry, “They are all missing from the workroom, someone has stolen them.”

Henry looks at Erica and then back at Gabriella, before he can speak a familiar voice is heard behind him.

“Henry.” Henry turns around to see Olivia on the walkway just below the stairs where he stands.

Bewildered he asks, “Olivia?”

“It’s me, how are you, Henry?”

Henry rushes over to meet her he can’t believe it really is her and has to get a closer look, “I thought you couldn’t make it, London and all.”

“My folks came out to see me and I decided to come back for a bit.”

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Henry hugs her and she reciprocates, they look at each other and set into each other’s eyes, inching closer and closer until their lips find one another. Erica watching interrupts,

“Ok, you two lovebirds can catch up later, we have a situation here.”

Olivia pulls back and asks Henry,” Is this, is this a bad time Henry?”

Henry smiles and responds,” No, no whatever it is can wait, you’re here now.”

Gabriella interjects,” I hate to break it to you but if we don’t find these we could lose credit, Henry.”

“It’s ok Gaby, there are other things in this world other than this.” He looks at Olivia, takes her hand into his.

“I trust you guys, to find them. I am going to be In the green room.”

“Incorrigible,” Gabriella responds,” Ok, girl let’s go find these.”

Gabriella and Erica cross the square to the main campus. This is the sports center, it includes a professional-sized basketball court, outdoor tennis courts, and a football field just to the outside. They enter the basketball locker room. It is a Sunday so the school is fairly empty.

As Gabreilla and Erica leave, Henry motions to Olivia, they walk slowly down the middle path of the courtyard.

Play now Carl Storm da bomb,

“I never thought I would see you again, after our last fight, before you left, I wanted to tell you I was…”

Olivia stops, hushes him, “I know Henry, I said some things I didn’ t mean as well, you’re not the only one.

“Well, I was such an ass.”

“Maybe you were, maybe I was too, I should never have left like that but things are different now, I am in a good place and once I am finished school next year, guess what?”

“What your going to work for the UN or something?”

She laughs, “No…you remember that night the night you arranged for us to get away to the cabin so we could be by the lake, our last night together?”

He remembers they made love seemingly for ever, most of the long weekend in bed, they ate, drank and slept never leaving each-others side; laughing, crying tickling until they both cried from gut curdling laughter, the kind of laughter that makes your stomach ache like it was a full day of nothing but pilates. Henry remembers they barely moved from the cabins king sized bed, this was the happiest Henry had been in a lasting time. He turns to her,

“How could I forget? We spent two days together, just you and me, but then we fought, about you leaving I didn’t want you to leave but you were mad and then you actually left, I found out later you went to see, Pete?” He waits for her to confirm, She is hesitant. He continues,

“We were supposed to stay together, forever Olivia, just you and me remember?… For infinity.”

“It was just such a hard time to be going to school, I had so much stress, and we spent every minute together. But after that I realized, I needed you, I have always needed you.”

“Did you go see Pete? Olivia?”

“It was a hard time, Henry. “

“Did you see Pete, Olivia?”

Her eyes begin to fill with water, she can’ t bring herself to hurt Henry, she trembles at the thought of never seeing him again but she realizes the only way to heal is to tell the truth, she gathers her thoughts,

“I Did.”

Henry aches.” Oh, Jesus, Olivia.”

“But I only did it because I wanted you, Henry. I know this sounds ridiculous but I was immature and just wanted to hurt you for the things you said and the truth is, the truth is it never made you jealous because you moved on before I could even figure it out. I wanted you to fight for me, I was leaving that day and you didn’t fight, I wanted you to FIGHT! Henry, not move on, I didn’t want to lose you.”

He looks at her like he has seen a loved one murdered, “So, you went over to Pete’s, the day after you left, the day after we had the biggest connection, then we had some small fight about you leaving overseas for school and you couldn’t’ t contain that? I was devastated for months, years, after that, Olivia, it affected my life, I have’ t been the same ever since!”

“I did’ t sleep with him, Henry. He was just there, someone to talk to but I wanted it to be you, always. The reason I m here now is…” She continues.

“Well I want to continue that and well start a family with you, Henry.”

Play Now MARRY ME by JASON DERULO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBCMymyCNT4

Henry looks into her eyes, his nerves overcome him not a good nervousness a profound feeling of failure if he should give in, give all his heart again, and this time maybe not survive a blow to it, confused not knowing if he can give her another chance, the anger slowly starts to fade, he still loves her, but can he trust her? He looks deep into her eyes again hoping for the sake of his life she is being sincere, another whirlwind would most certainly kill him or at the very least wind him down a dark and lonely path maybe forever, he thinks for a long while, decades in a far off planet, he asks,

“Like kids and the whole ceremony and all that?”

“Yes Henry.”

Henry is taken aback, as Henry thinks, Olivia bends down on one knee and pulls out a small jewelry box, she opens it revealing a 2 carrot diamond ring, she saved up for two years working late shifts at a local London pub all the while attending school, she settled for law, international law. She continues,

“Henry William Milles, will you have the honor of being my confident, my one and only for times in sickness and times in health, in bed or out for richer or poorer, until the sun sets on our old wrinkled faces, our kids grow up and have lives of their own, our souls bond together forever, will you give me the honor of being my Husband?”

Henry watches as she waits anticipating his response. He doesn’t answer. She notices his hesitation and continues,

“I love you and will always love you….Henry…for Infinity.”

Just as she is about to ask him, again, Henry responds quickly, “Not good enough…

…Infinite Infinity?

Just you and me?”

Olivia smiles,

“You and me.”

Definitely play now 🙂 by Limujii https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugkxx2Fx…

They embrace, laugh and exchange a kiss as they run into the green room. Henry picks Olivia Up into his arms and yells, “I am getting Married!”


Jude a tall black man with bald head yells over to Henry, “Hey, Supe! Congrats!” (a pen name Jude uses for Henry, as Henry loves the comic hero superman, he owns a set of pyjama’ s with the famous logo that he sometimes wears to rehearsals) Jude who plays Ethan and Shivon who plays Alice for Henry’ s show are chatting near the stage. They are reading through pages of lines rehearsing together. Henry and Olivia pass them on their way to the green room. Henry acknowledges them.

“Jude…Shivon. How are things?”

Jude looks to Shivon, he is not sure if he should ask the questions they have been chatting about. He hesitates and then asks.

“Hey, Henry I know you have a lot on your plate, but this scene where I am confronting the raider, it…it doesn’t feel right, man.”

Henry stops a moment then looks at Jude, and then replies,” It’s basically for contrast Jude, we can’t all be perfect heroes in the story, gives it some depth, plus you are badass in this, really.”

Jude looks to Shivon, she shakes her head, and speaks, “It’s our fellow brothers, Henry! I don’t think we would fight them like this, not on any day ever! After all this shit that went down, the people in charge need to be accounted for! We have been at their mercy for far too long, it has to stop!”

Henry ponders this a moment then speaks again, “You know you’re right, but isn’t there a bigger issue here? Evil can creep up on us all. Shouldn’t we take the higher ground? To seek out peace? The world is full of war, we really don’t t need it here, my Great Grandfather died trying to keep his land and they took his kids, forced them to do unthinkable things, rape, torture, and take from their families, they were thought of as lessor beings like rodents and then the people in charge said: ‘Ok we’re sorry here is some money but stay over here in the corner and keep to yourselves.’ So I know how you feel, but it all comes full circle, what is good will always find its way, maybe there is some good to come after it all if we choose, and let guilt play its part.”

Shivon thinks a moment, then shakes her head. Jude looks at her and begins to add, “Ok, I can go with that, hey, let’s go help them look for the lost puppets.”

Shivon is angered, her eyes well up, and becomes distantly aggressed as Jude comes in to comfort her, he looks for a kiss but she is reluctant. He consoles her and she agrees to go with him, they kiss and walk down the stage front to the exit on the other side.


Erica and Gabriella walk through the empty basket ball gym, Erica immediately sees a rack of basketballs near the foul line.

“Oh, hell ya, lets play 21!”

Gabriella responds,”Eri, come on we have to find the puppets.”

Erica playfully grabs a ball out of the rack and starts to dribble, her skills are better than most as she weaves the ball between her feet in a quick motion she spins, jumps and throws the ball to the net. The ball arcs in the air and perfectly falls through the net not touching the rim.

“Swoooosh, nothing but net, oh baby!”

Gabriella looks at her and grabs another ball, “Ok one game, then we search.”


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Jude and Shivon leave the theatre, they walk around the outside of the complex where long ryegrass fields surround them they walk along the path, a small river flows to their left. As they make their way to the main front entry they hear a scream.

Jude recognizes the voice, it’s Hazel, he listens intently, then another gargling scream:

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originating from the music room as he looks to the window he sees faint light flashing through, “Come on that’s Hazel, let’s.” –

Shivon looks at him, “You are not going in there are you?”

“If Hazel is in trouble.” –

“You ARE NOT going in there are you?”

“I have no choice.”

She cant stand to be alone, not now, something doesn’t sit right with her, she takes a moment and responds.

“I’m not staying here alone, take me with you.”

They hold each other tight and enter the door to the hallway just outside the music room.

Jude holds Shivon’s hand as they tread ever so lightly making large but quiet steps. They come to the crossroad in the royal Hall where Orson has twisted apart only moments ago. They are about to turn the corner but as they turn, they notice a piece of footwear laying untied on the floor. Jude recognizes the shoe its his friend Orson’s shoe distinguishable from its blue color with a yellow lighting stripe down the side. He stops looks at Shivon, she is looking at the shoe then looks at Jude.

She whispers, “Let’s get out of here.” Just as she does a thump is heard knocking against a door nearby, then again louder, and a third even louder yet until a final thud and accompanied by an incinerating scream. They look at each other Jude rushes over to the door it’s locked.

Play Now Go by TomH https://bassrebels.ffm.to/hatom-go

They hear a song playing just behind…

Jude presses his right side ear against the door trying to listen in. He hears a barrage of heinously sounding growls then many small footsteps like 100s of canine paws scattering around. All at once a thud against the door as his ear is flattened against it startles Jude. He backs away then again it thuds the door handle turns and opens, as hundreds of marionette arms and hands shove through the opening, He backs away even more and speaks, “

“Help me hold this!”

He can hear the snarling and smell the vileness like someone left as full carved turkey carcass under a sink for a full month. Shivon gathers her courage and rushes the door pushing it shut. The arms are wringing out the crack in the door snap and fall to the ground. The door handle turns rapidly, rapid fire knocks on the door become louder and louder, the door handle snaps off as the door opens a second time, as it become harder and harder for Jude, he looks at Shivon.

“Yep, time to go.”

They grab each other’s hands and run out the side door again onto the pathway that surrounds the campus.


Erica takes another ball from the rack, dribbles then starts to set up to throw the ball, as she does the lights in the gymnasium all turn off. Suddenly music comes over the intercom:

Erica looks around the gymnasium, it is empty she then remarks to Gabriella “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Gabriella is having none of it, “Ok, very funny, you can turn the music off and the lights back on, jokes on us!”

A low rumbling voice voice is heard in the distance, “Hungry.”

Erica turns to Gabriella, startled and nervous she speaks quickly with assertion, “Who was that?” She waits for Gabriella’s response then speaks again yelling into the dark.

“You’re not funny you know?”

“WHO IS IT?”

A gargling voice speaks again, “Bel-leth.”

Suddenly a door opens at the far side of the gymnasium as multiple shadowy figures scatter throughout the darkness, hundreds of tiny figures too small to be even a small Child’s height, not human, another song echoes through the court as the figures growl and scowl like rabid wolves.

Come And Go With Me By: The Dell Vikings

“Da, da, da da dum, dum didy… dum da dum dudu de dum, Didy dum dudu du dum come ad go, A Woah Woah whoa whoaha”

Gabriella shakes, she has heard this name before, and she yells at Erica, “Let’s go someone is citing a demons name, a demon that uses music, whoever it is, well let’s not find out, you know how movies go, curious, the characters die. Let’s go…NOW!”

Erica nods and follows Gabriella, they start to run as they hear tiny footsteps far off on the other side of the gymnasium. Gabriella remembers she left her car at the theatre, she pulls Erica strong on her arm almost hurting her; they run through the doors, through the courtyard to the theatre parking lot. She looks at Erica.

“What about the rest?” Erica asks as she is catching her breath.

Gabriella thinks a moment, hesitates then gives in, “Oh no…” She places her hands on her head nervously she adds, “Ok, ok we can do this quickly let’s go.”

They run to the theatre through the stands and into the green room where Henry and Olivia are laying together on a futon. They are making out under a blanket as Erica and Gabriella enter, Olivia and henry are laughing together.

“Henry, I think we got to get out of here, somethings happening, maybe it’s what happened to the puppets. I’ll explain later.” Gabriella explains, that just as she does, Jude and Shivon enter, Jude is worried, and he rushes his words, “Guys there is blood in the Royal Hall, and.” He is stricken by fear…”Orson’s shoe is right at the crossroad. No sign of him. Blood everywhere …and..and …I heard screams, It sounded like..” He has trouble saying the name, “Hazel.”

He continues, “I saw something, somethings lots of them, hundreds….”


The door to the Music room slams open. Thousands of snarling puppets escape into the Hall, as Beleth stands in the center of the room in front of the workbench with the portal mirror a continuous path of mixed puppets enter from the portal into the new world, Beleth begins to laugh, low and continuous…

“Maybe thousands…” Jude announces as the puppets rush in…

Just as dawn appears with a misty morning the river to the east is seen flowing red.

To be continued…

Written by Colin R. Mah

Proofed by CJ Wolfe

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PuppetMaster

Title by CJ Wolfe

Chapter 6 – Born again.

The players for the second show of Henry’s Ensemble are readying for rehearsal.

Henry is on a bus on his way to meet the students at the theatre.

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The sky closes in as rain begins pelting the side of the bus like the heavens have decided to open every faucet in Heavenly Jerusalem, the capital of the Messianic Kingdom, and also named Zion in other books of the Christian Bible. He notices an old lady with distinctively wrinkled features staring at him. A small child is crying on the other side where Henry is sitting; a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes also layered with cloths and held by a woman with a dark blue cloak covering a chemise worn underneath. Henry looks at the old woman, she will not take her piercing glance off of him. Her face unanticipatedly changes to a white bloodied mask-like of a cotton sheet face where the eyes are seemingly black smears, shut, and stitched with rusty barbed wire. His chest begins to palpitate from a murmur defect in his heart, a problem Henry acquired existing from childbirth, placing Baby Henry into intensive care for 12 days, and is triggered by stress.

He looks away calming his breath, slowly inhaling, holding, and then exhaling, a trick he learned from his now deceased Mother. As he gains his breathing and pulses back into a normal rhythm, he peeks back to the woman, drawn to her as her wrinkled withered face glares back this time with a look like Henry was guilty of some heinous crime, he wonders what it is that contains her willingness to stare, he concludes maybe a pressed judgment because of the way he dresses and his stress is causing the delusions he witnessed, after a brief vehement, Henry rises out of the side bucket front seat of the gas-powered transport and paces to the back of the bus to not be seen by the eerily mysterious woman. After he settles, He hears a young woman talking on a Startac Motorola flip phone.

“I have just had a bad day, and your are away at work. It s just the kid is 14 and running away. Her cousin just overdosed and died and she is going to do whatever she does; she’s only 14! You’re gone for two more days.” She notices Henry listening, looks the other way, and crouches her head into the phone to not be heard, but Henry can still hear as he emphasizes,” I just really need you here, I know it’ll be ok. Love you too.”

Henry looks at the woman and speaks, “Are you ok?”

She timorously replies, ” I’ m fine…thanks.”

“I know how you feel, I lost my father and mother, My mother this year.”

She reluctantly looks at him, looks for a moment, and replies “That’s horrible.”

“You’re not alone.”

She looks at him again timidly, down at the seat and then back at Henry this time with a smile.

Henry looks to the woman, she reminds him of his mother, caring for him whenever he needed. His eyes begin to water, he looks at the window and to the street beyond.

Play now Scott Buckley https://breakingcopyright.com/song/scott-buckley-phoenix

As the students prepare for the upcoming show, Orson comes rushing out to the green room.

“The Puppets, they’re, missing.”

Alice speaks up,” Which puppets, Orson?”

Orson, breathing heavily swallows before he speaks again, “All of them.”

The rest of the students are aghast and look at one another with suspicion trying to figure out which one might be the saboteur and for what reason. It is the morning however and they have the full day to find them; until 7pm pacific standard time,  the westernmost time zone in the contiguous United States and Canada; It is also used in Baja California, Mexico.

“I can’t believe this, someone is sabotaging the show!” Erica screams.

Alice makes an order, “Ok, well they were here before we left, they have to be somewhere. Everyone split up and search the campus.”

The students pair up and head out of the theatre to look for the missing puppets, Orson and Hazel are the first to exit the theatre, and they start walking into the main halls of the university. The halls are large tunnel-like structures spanning 50 meters high to the tip of the gothic ceiling. They are made of stone with distinct ribbed features crisscrossing down along the inside of the rooftop. Statues of ancient philosophers line the echoed lane. Dim light stretches through the stained glass windows onto the marble-tiled textured floor, shiny as a new 1994 Bicentennial of the U.S. Capitol Silver Dollar.

Hazel, fair-skinned with blue dye spiked hair, asks Orson, “What do you think happened?”

Orson is bored, “Who knows, probably one of the jocks, playing a joke,”

She replies, “Ya, ya your probably right.”

“This sucks, my Dad is already on me about taking theatre, instead of being, a doctor or something, and now we might not be able to finish.”

“We, can, and we will find it. Doctor, gross. All that blood, and babies. Gross. Do you like babies and blood? You really have to, to be a Doctor.”

Orson stops walking, “Ewe, ya I never thought about that.”

“Babies scream a lot, my sister she has a baby, it never stops crying. I was there for the birthing, ya PTSD for life.”

“Too funny, what do you think of the show, I never really talk to you, odd both of us you know being ASIAN and all.”

“It’s good, and ya I know, why don’t we talk more?”

“We should, but you know it’s hard enough to fit in around here, don’t need the extra luggage.”

She stops, suddenly.

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Orson looks at her and stops,” Hey, I dint mean to.” –

“Shhhhh,” Hazel is as still as a piece of cheese in a mousetrap. “I hear something.”

The hallway is as silent as a winter’s wilderness night, a song can be heard, it’s too faint to make out.

Hazel continues, “Did you hear that?”

Orson looks at her like a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle of a field with nothing but perennial ryegrass, “Hear what?”

“It’s music.” Orson looks around the hall. Nothing.

“Come on, I don’t hear anything, what song?”

The music stops, dead silence.

Hazel replies, “It sounded like, I don’t know actually.” Lets go check it out maybe its something to do with the missing puppets.”

“Or a Party!”

“Ya, ok.”

The two continue down the ornate halls until they reach another hall at the end that is joined perpendicular. As they turn the corner suddenly the music starts again, this time piercing loud. It’s an old bee-bop melody:

Play now Mixkit – Mrs. Bee Bebop https://lc-s.co/WBfEv

They turn the corner and in a flash a white puppet presents before their eyes:

PLAY NOW!

In an instant, Orson is grabbed by a large snake-like bloody tongue. His body is twisted and squeezed like a soaking wet dish rag, the blood washes out from his stretched ripped skin spurting onto the floor from his twisted frame, and his eyeballs burst out of their sockets onto the floor. Hazel screams, turns, and runs in the opposite direction down the adjacent hall. She frenzies looking for rooms open along the lane; She grabs a handle and turns it, it’s locked, she runs to another door, locked again, she crosses to the other side the door opens to a dark black room. She hurriedly slams the door shut bracing herself against the wall.

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She quavers and cries trembling trying to keep still, placing her hand over her mouth as she cannot contain her voice from making noise as she knows this could be her last day on earth, minutes or seconds from a possible infinite nothingness; the music gets louder she is crying as it continues, she wants to scream maybe informing someone to help as the music is playing just outside the door…her handshakes, she is tormented at the sight of seeing Orson dying. Suddenly a spotlight comes on behind her lighting up a stage, where the green sock puppets are watching her, they begin to laugh and squeal like weasels but she cannot muster up the courage to see what is there. The door handle starts to turn, she jumps, walks backward, and turns around just as the four-stringed puppets walk from her sides, she continues to cry, two from the left side; two from the right side of her, and they look at her like curious puppies, slowly come to a stillness then like leopards going for a final kill, they jump on her forcing Hazel down as she falls to the floor ripped apart from the puppets.

The door opens as the white goblin puppet enters. The green sock puppets cower in fear. The Master Puppet looks to the floor in the middle of the room where a table holds a large mirror, while the wooden puppets continue to devour Hazel. The mirror is attached to a worktable full of string, wood blocks, sticks, wire, paint, different sizes of fabric and felts.

The Master Puppets’ midsection begins to click like gears from a machine. A song is belted out from his midsection:

Play Now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nigntqhdqxg

All the puppets stop and proceed to the workbench, grabbing the materials and placing them through the mirror.

As the white Puppet watches his creations, the green goblin sock puppets and the wooden stringed marionettes gather the materials. He turns to Hazel, walks over to her remains, picks up a necklace stares into it as he stares the necklace begins to glow, he then looks back at the mirror.

It turns translucent, then just beyond the surface, masses of shadowy figures can be seen in a portal, a portal beyond the realms of the earth to another dimension…

To Be continued…

Written by Colin R. Mah

Proofed by CJ Wolfe

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PuppetMaster

Title By CJ Wolfe

Chapter 5 – All choked up

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Mid-day is the hottest of the summer months, this is the time Henry’s father usually appears home from work. He pulls up the driveway to a quaint home in a suburban area of California. His white Eco van marked ‘Mills heating and Cooling’ brakes into the driveway, a noticeable squeal from the distinctive tell-tale disintegrated carbon pads capriciously sounds the dramaturgic warning to have them replaced, in most instances, but this is Henry’s father’ s van and if an expense can be mitigated, then Alex will do just that. He parks the van in the chipped and partially concrete metal-stained driveway. Alex, a well-built man of 5’10” with fair skin, large muscles exposed from a white tank top shirt and low-rise jeans grabs a case of light lager from the side door of the van, then walks staggeringly into the house, one step over the other covering most of the front yard.

The home is an old wooden stained white planked bungalow with a front and rear yard, nestled in a poor community on the outskirts of the city. Mona, Henry’s mother is preparing dinner. Henry’s father walks in.

“Hey, that smells good, what do you have us eating, now?”

Mona, an indigenous woman with long silky hair braided,

replies,” Oh, it’s just a stir fry from the leftovers.”

He pops open a can from the case,” Well better than nothing.”

Mona sighs,” You know If you want something then you can pitch in around here, instead of drinking every night.”

Henry is watching a television show in the adjacent living room as his parent’s quarrel.

“Woah, I can’t even imagine how bad this is going to be, Henry you test this first would ya?”

Henry looks over to his Dad and then back to the television.

“Ok fine, I’ll be the first to die.”

Mona brings the prepared dinner over to the table, swats her husband on the arm, and sits down.

“Ok-Ok I am sure it’s fine.”

“Henry come, dinner is ready.”

“Ok, Mom.”

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Henry’s Father takes a few bites of the meal Mona had placed moments before in front of him, he chews obnoxiously a few times then begins to choke, he reaches for the can of fermented hops and tries to wash it down struggling to breathe; his lager froths backfiring from his lodged portion, continues into his nostrils, as he squirms, holding his neck, falls lifeless onto the cold metal kitchen dining room table, a slurry bubbly death sigh is released as his body aggregates into a quiet stillness.

Henry is on a bus staring at the floor while he remembers the moment his father died.

The bus loping along the old pavement, continues its path to the school and the second day of rehearsals.

To be continued…

Written by Colin R. Mah

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PuppetMaster

Chapter one – Dress Rehearsal Rag

Intro Music…By Uniq https://soundcloud.com/uniqofficial

The year is 1994, the day Henry turned 21, the legal drinking age in most of the world although In his home town the age is only 18 important as Henry was an alcoholic at an early age beginning at the age of 14, many of his friends either stayed the course ending up in jail or even worse six feet under, but Henry now uses his creativity to battle impulses and he has matured enough to know what it is that can lead to disaster. Henry is a timid man, A college student in his own right, Henry studies theater and the art of puppeteering. He is a handsome fellow of averagely yet slim build, he has both British and Indigenous heritages all stemming from a broken family; a Mother and Father divorced at the early age of 9, back and forth together in a toxic match to the death, thus resulting in an absence of Henry learning much about his ancestor’s culture. This carries on into his adult life caring more for the oxymoronic start of abstract thought that impresses on him to bring something static to life. A coping mechanism perhaps but a much better solution than hitting the streets searching for answers. Today is his premiere show with his aptly made creations made from scratch which were chipped, chiseled, stitched, sewn, and given all his extra coffee-induced hours into the last two years of his curriculum into a final act to be analyzed to death, most likely put down into an artistic graveyard unto council conversations and finally marked by the faculty program facilitators.

Henry stands on a medium sized stage with 200 empty glaring chairs, his favourite brimmed black hat slightly tilted and worn sideways, ready for whatever show might be assembled; he takes in the lights that are being set up for the early morning rehearsal. Normally this would be done the week before but he had to wait for a big name rap show – Leon Biz – was in the house with a lineup of named talent performing for a full week. This makes Henry have to set up lights, music and rehearse the show all in the 8 hours before the premier at 7 pm this early May evening.

He watches the lights switch to a center display, while a projector maps out a set of a rioting street in the heart of Los Angeles.

“Ok, Rich that’s it! Right there, don’t move it!”

The light switches off, and Henry shouts, “No No you are not on the right that’s not right, where did it go!?

A shadowy figure above in the tech booth echoes a yell back, “What? I can t hear you.”

Henry shouts back “You missed it Rich the light is out, what are you doing? Do I have to come up there?”

Henry is holding his hand over his eyes to see better, the shadowy Richard stumbles some switches as stage lights all light up in differing arrays of color and brightness surrounding Henry. The lights dance on the floor, and the walls and then rest finally on Henry’s glaring face. He tries again.

The lights go off…”There I got it that’s the ticket!”

Henry pauses a moment, and then sighs, “Never-mind, everybody take 5.”

The green room is full of students also vying for their final marks of the season as they gather props, and wardrobes and apply varying amounts of makeup to enhance the face, resemble a clown or a goblin, or just to highlight the eyebrows – a common trick to performers. Eye shadow to highlight even further brings out the eyes in a full audience as folks in the back struggle to see every fine detail or expression. A few select students are in bodysuits ready to plug into their characters becoming the mouth, eyes, and nose in cohesiveness to moving extremities from their rehearsed direction from the creator and writer of the show. Henry makes certain all main puppeteers are blocked to not be seen by the audience as the show requires a fair bit of movement in sync to a musical piece. Henry selected songs from the current times of grunge to accompany his number.

The show, called Ensemble is an odd collision of early alternative, hip hop, and older r&b music to have a feel like in a nightclub but to tell a story of a man and woman falling in love amidst hardening times, a riot caused by a judgment against a black motorist. It is an urban tale of love amidst the worst of timings.

Play now

As the students get ready a knock is heard at the back door. Susan one of the main puppeteers and the assistant director, a redhead lady of Caucasian complexion and an athletic build, she yells, “Can someone get that fucking door?” knocks louder,” GET THE DOOR!”

“I’ll get it.” Mark, a taller British lad with a nerdy complexion quits the tampering of his puppet a green goblin type of character who is a protagonist accommodating the main villain easily scowling at any eager onlookers – this is an audience engagement strategy, he is wearing big thick glasses like a science professor at MIT ready to hunker down to, without a flinch, mark through 150 or so exams on bilinear algebra.

“Who’s there?” He stammers.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Then a different sound like nails on glasse…

SCREEETCH,…

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

“Who’s there?”

A low smirking voice is heard, “Special…delivery.”

“Special…Delivery.” Marks yells to the room eyes fixated on the door, “Who? Who ordered take out?.”

The door unlocks and opens just a little bit, finer than a coarse piece of human hair. Mark looks at the door and starts, “Is – is….anyone excepting anybody?”

No one responds, they have moved out of the back loading area and into the ready rooms to get ready for rehearsals. The room is completely silent like a rolling green tundra amidst the apache mountain basin, not a word can be heard. He steps towards the slightly opened steel door, various maroon-colored carpets, black and gold chests like a magician might use and bare mannequins surround the door.

SCRATCH….thump…something hits the door and it opens wide in one big push hitting the chest knocking the lid open.

A body falls to the floor. A body of a puppet. It is a white puppet made of smaller puppets. The smaller puppets display a mouth like a lightning bolt when closed. It looks like a wearable cohesive unit.

Mark stares at the body of puppetry before him. Startled and nervous he slowly approaches it bending down. He lifts the head portion or what could be considered a head of this pointy top of the body. Mark lowers his whole body to get in a better position to see, suddenly a face appears in the top portion awakening the eyes opening a mouth slowly wide full of hundreds of razor-sharp metal teeth, making a low gargling sound the mouth opens even wider and in one fell swoosh the white goblin puppet consumes Mark’s body, chomps in one catastrophic chew and cuts mark in half taking the upper body leaving the midsection of Mark, his blue jeans ripped at the torso while his legs flail around squirming, splattering blood and intestine’s over the room. A yell softens as he is devoured. The smaller mouths in the midsection of the white Goblin Puppet turn clockwise around the frame. This action brings the puppet to a standing position, finishing eating Mark chomping, and slurping.

The face opens and it begins to speak, “Delivery into my, Mmmm European sausage, me likey!” A song is triggered in one of his side mouths ushering a familiar melody:

Enrico Caruso – Vesti la giubba (On with the motley) – 1902, 1904, 1907 http://www.enricocaruso.dk

It continues for another two verses.

The hungry puppet hears another person incoming, looks to the chest, and with speed like a spider closes the lid. A long tongue appears out of the chest searching for the torso left behind, it feels around, finding remains splattered about. The Elongated tongue quickly cleans up the mess and finally finds Marks Torso, wraps around, and in an instant retracts into the chest, lid closing quickly behind.

Susan runs to the back room to find some wardrobe items she is missing, she looks around, then to the chest. She reaches for the chest latch.

“Susan, hey we have it forget it, get back your on right now hurray!” Bryce in props calls out to her.

Susan looks down the long winding hall and looks back to the chest hesitating almost drawn to it by some unforeseen force. Bryce calls again, “Susan!” She jumps up and answers.

“Ok coming.”

To be continued…

Written by Colin R. Mah

Proofed by CJ Wolf

Featured

First kiss

Began with a simple hi there hello,

In the midst of an application’s glow

Laughing at all my silly jokes

until truths are told from head to toe,

of one heart smashed four lonely years ago;

one absent love where passions spill,

like a lions full stomach ignores

the scent of a kill.

Meeting under the brightly lit Christmas tree

Lighting our faces over half past three,

in the middle of downtowns Robson square,

you stared into my soul,

with those blue ocean eyes-

Frolicking until our harmonious bodies flow;

to a windy cold nights transcending streetlit dance

– watery drops drum drum drum down-

atop an umbrellas protective embracing kindness,

under Sealed warming’s breath…

This first night

– first Kiss;

Robson Square

What do you wish you could do more every day?

I wish I could help more people every day. With the busy world we live in and the high cost of living it seems impossible to have enough time to help and do things that are important.

If only there were no such invention of money, no politics or greed than maybe just maybe the left over envy would be overshadowed by the greater good. But I don’t think we will ever see that in a hundred lifetimes, it is too bad because that will probably be the only thing to save this beautiful world, the green pastures of the prairies to the heights of the western mountains or the great wide open skies of the eastern lakes.

I do believe that in order to keep our beautiful world from becoming a complete disaster, helping others is what can bring happiness and peace to our planet.

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

As of late the answer ‘No’ has been resonating through my vocabulary in more ways than one; for example, I ordered Chinese food the other day and instead of BBQ pork I said no to the pork and yes to Beef!

Another example was the consistent abuse of power exhibited by a colleague so I insisted on saying no to continue being harassed and used in a manner not acceptable to me.

Setting boundaries and saying no can ease one’s state of mind when it comes to hitting the mark with work and taking on too many things at once.

I would rather focus on one project at a time and put everything I have into that in order for that specific project to be successful and professional!

To this I say NO to anything that does not serve my purposes and growth!

What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?

Ever since I was a child I have had a recurring dream about flying. Perhaps this is why I pursued a pilots license later on in life (but never continued of course). The dream would always entail some sort of new contraption designed to use my own power to fly.

I believe this was always a metaphor for the future. Use your own skills and experience to lift you up into the bright sunny skies overhead with the mountain clouds forming at their bases.

Many times I would fail and fall but then never hit the ground for some reason as either the dream swept into the nights slumber or the scene changed altogether.

But occasionally I could fly over the mountains and throughout the cities soaring to new heights and never fall…

Remote

Remote

Traverse the universe from a far away place,

It is the best way for

When the day is done

One can procure stringed boiled treats

And lay on down,

silken sheets.

To watch the lights dance in order

On a glass electrified border

Of electrons and atoms

Stirred together in a bowl

Unless the matter of control

Is lost.

Where did it go?

It will not begin to tell its tales

Without a press of the poly

Structured electric boards.

Sending waves through the unseen

Air.

Wait what can we do?

There is no way to alternate this

Teleporting face.

We can use the store in another unseen place!

To mimic our device

Lost and forgotten cadence!

Let the screen begin

Plasma floats,

With this new clone

This new remote.

The spark. A gathering of friends, One gone from end of life, light turns into day and day into night, along the tree line gorillas crawl under the dark shadowy brush, Red lit eyes look down upon a sullen man, filling his veins with a dead pan hand, struck with a foggy cloud of Euphoric Eros, Until eyes close the lingering smell quells the nose. Wave after wave sunder under sandy beaches, a stage is set, The edged kite drifts through the open sky light night like a dragon from a lingering distant past poised to strike. Starring through the smoky glass to a shadow in an outward hidden path, strangers creeping through rocky gardens below , lights wired to dance on the dreamy candle light lamp glow, floating lights scan wide pan targets in sights, mattress loaded with defensive knife, Sent to biasedly rupture body mind and sound, An electric spark dancing through the hazy air, lamps light up inside like a carnival ground. As the dose begins to fade waves coming again to a crews delight, a spark is what we made to the struggles of life.

What bores you?

What bores you?

Not much actually bores me, I like to be bored actually it’s kinda fun to be honest, being bored is, if you think about it, an activity. Do you know how hard it is to stay bored for a very long time? I challenge you, the reader, to try it sometime to just do nothing for the longest time…,…

….oh I was just watching a TikTok video on UFOs there my bad.

Try it sometime it’s actually quite hard to stay bored for a very long time, because we on the end of the evolutionary ape chart, are constantly needing some form of activity; perhaps that is why the 10 second rule was adopted by advertisers and producers. Apparently the mind wanders after 10 secs of content I would actually argue that it’s in the first 2 or 3 seconds that the mind will wander, in fact if you have made it this far in this reading then good on you, you love to be bored as I do 🙂

PuppetMaster

Title by CJ Wolfe

Chapter 9 – You’ re Betrayal

Play now

The students make their way to the side entrance of the music room; they pause for a regrouping while consoling Henry, he is sitting on a rock stunned. He grows restless, rises up pacing around as he shouts,”Is this what you want from me? To relinquish myself and suffer the consequences? I can”t be who you want me to be!”

The students worry about Henry he seems to be giving in, Shivon walks behind him lifting her hand then taps him on his right shoulder,

“How is this going to help? This is not you, get yourself together man, you can beat this, you have the power to do something now get over your fear, do it, do it if not for us, then for Olivia. You owe it to her!

Henry turns around, he looks at Shivon, the rest of the group approach Henry to console him as he lost his true love only moments ago; after she proposed to him; after two years of never being able to muster up the courage even to call her on a telephone; she broke the silence herself saved up her money for two years and travelled over an ocean to be with him forever.

They hug for a seemingly endlessly long time.

Gabriella watching the students help Henry slips out of sight as they console and continue to hug Henry and each another. Garbriella runs up the stairs silently into the hall following the streaks of blood smeared on the tiled floor from where Orson was killed. She Enters the music room glancing to the mirror portal now seemingly quite, she looks into her pocket and pulls out a ring. A voice is heard as she walks to the stage directly behind her.

“Conjurer, come.”

Gabriella looks behind her.

“Oh great Beleth, I am but your humble admirer, do with me as you please, I am at your device.”

Beleth speaks in another language,”You have been a loyal servant. Lure the people who seek to destroy me to the mirror.”

She acknowledges, but just as she does the students run in through the side door of the music room, they see her with the ring.

Henry trails behind the students, entering to see Gabriella already there in the centre..

She looks up at Henry, “Henry, it’s here, I know it is here somewhere.”

Henry walks through the students with caution, “

“What are you doing here by yourself?” He asks.

Gabriella smiles, “Ah, Henry you are so beautiful, predictable however. Do you know how much power is in music? It can be used to effect a person so so much.”

Henry realising Gabriella is not herself asks, “Gaby, did you have something to do with this?”

Staring into the ring, she laughs, “So much power indeed.”

Henry assertively questions Gabriella again,”Gaby, is all this because of you? Is my fiancé dead because of you? Are you the conjurer?”

She is annoyed at Henry and mocks him,”So many questions, blah blah Blah blah blah blah blah.” She walks to the mirror and turns around to face Henry. “Do you like Music, Henry?” She doesn’t wait for his response this time,

“You know it is said as long as 43,000 years ago the first remnants of music were heard by the ears of that time. When it comes to specific songs, however, the oldest known examples are relatively more recent. The earliest fragment of musical notation was found on a 4,000-year-old, Sumerian clay tablet, which includes instructions and tunings for a hymn honoring the ruler Lipit-Ishtar. But for the title of the oldest song, well most historians point to “Hurrian Hymn No. 6,” an ode to the goddess Nikkal that was composed in cuneiform by the ancient Hurrians, sometime around the 14th century B.C. Interesting isn’t it, Henry?”

Henry warns,”What are you talking about?” He comes to a conclusion,” It was you, all along? “

She adds, “So much power.”

Henry pleads with her, ”Gaby, stop this, you can stop this.”

“It’s for our own good. I made a deal, in exchange for this world, I will be rewarded with power over it as Beleths wife, thus using music to destroy the human race. I must say there are so many songs about sorrow, I really am doing this world a favour to be honest, riding everyone from their misery of love, trauma, anxiety. This ring will control well, everything if one can hear at least, do as I wish. Even you Henry.”

Henry realises she will not stop ,”Gabriella it’s not to late, give me the ring, I’ll stop all of this.”

Gabriella is locked into a dark trance, “Beleth will set us free!”

The rest of the students run into the music room, A laugh is heard just beyond:

Henry looks over to the instruments scattered around the music room, he notices a triangle and remembered in the text a triangle was to be stricken, used to send Beleth back to his realm, to be rid of the demon once and for all. He thinks about the music he used, turns to Jude and Shivon, “Tell me now all the songs you heard, we have to write it, now!”

Jude and Shivon scurry to find a pen and paper they find them on a music stand, Jude calls out the songs from his memory. Shivon writes the song names on the paper and hands it to Henry. Erica joins them and adds what she heard to the list.

Jude looks at Shivon, “Okay.” Shivon looks around for something to use, she sees a piano in the corner, “Here, we can use this!”

Puppets are heard in the background beyond the room, snarling, they remain in place as Beleth enters a song is triggered:

As the music starts playing Shivon, uses the piano:

Henry holds the triangle in his left hand, strokes it in each direction and begins to sing:

Purpose by Jonny Easton https://open.spotify.com/artist/1YlWQ…

“I saw a twinkle from your eyes,

Like a glow from a morning star,

Your tears and your sorrow,

Laugh, Punchinello,

For the love that that never fades,

Lead me to you on this lasting night.

I saw a smile inside your hardened tears,

wo oh oh oh oh oh oh!

I saw a passion in your dying love,

the kind we used to think of.

Some People come and some people go,

But we can be free this I know,

for,

I see you,

I see through!

The darkness inside our faulty hearts,

Let it not control,

The music lets us go! Woah oh!

I see you now from the Grassy hills,

until the darkness begins to wane,

I see you,

I see you too!

Honeyed smiles feast the fear,

we’ re so very close so close so near.

Gabriella charges after Henry, she grabs a knife from her pocket quickly stabbing him in the chest. Thunder followed by a flash of lightning flashes through a window just behind her. The ring drops to the floor unbeknownst to the ravaging Gabriella, she grabs another knife from her leg forcefully raises it at Henry as he continues to sing,

“We fight with all of our might!

Courage becomes who we are,

I stand tall and prepare to go.

I see you

I see through

This lonely night

to love each other, near and far.

taking down our foes,

Henry looks at the knife pressed into his heart, he grasps the handle, falls down onto his knees, he weakens at the knife in his heart, he can feel it beating slower and slower draining his body of energy as his vision fades out blurring, Henry remembers Olivia and her kiss, a flash of his life fills his mind, his father like him to be, his Mother’s instructions to just breathe, he breathes in and out controlling his pulse, he sees the first time he met Olivia in the courtyard the very day he had his first puppet in his hands, he knows it is time right now, right his moment, second to take control of his life, to become who he was meant to be even if it meant this to be his last day, this would end right now.

Henry regains his composure, tenses his muscles, looks down to see ring half way nestled in between Gabriella and himself.

Gabriella takes a swing at Henry with the second knife, he quickky removes the knife in his chest ducks under her attack, rolls and grabs the ring, he slides to a stop, places the ring on his left ring fingure and whispers,

“infinity.”

He looks at Gabriella, blood flowing out of his wound he stands tall, places both feet firmly on the ground and continues to sing even louder.

I SEE YOU!”

“I SEE THROUGH”

Gaabriella. charges at Henry again stabbing Henry a second time, and a third, fourth, he wavers but stills his footing, his chest caving, sending sharp pains up his left arm, he collapses again, looks over at Beleth now hovering above Gabriella, he places his hands over his chest stands up and contines to sing,

“Laugh Pichello, no more sorrow, laugh.”

Henry laughs holds the triangle and strikes it with the ring on his figure down (south) right and then up north, then places the ring on his face, causing a sound wave from within the mirror to disperse outward, instantly killing the puppets jumping through the door, Beleth is pulled in as the wave recoils back into the mirror and closes the portal shut without a sound.

Henry watches as Gabriella is hunched over, he falls to the ground, struggling to stay alive, the students run over to him hoping he can endure, Gabriella noticing this becomes maddened by rage, she looks to harm the students but a platoon of military men run through the door just as she charges shouting commands surrounding Gabriella, she shrieks, takes her knife and charges at the heavy gunned forces, they do not hesitate and open fire instantly killing their target; her body blasted backwards onto the mirror breaking the one way reflectively coated glass into tiny pieces, she lies on the workbench silent, lifeless like a thousand words lost on a page, the workbench Henry spent most of his time preparing for his original show from his abstract mind. A time before the chaos.

The rest of the students arriving to the school from the faculty rush into the music room, they gather around in the center of the room, circle Henry as he is lay in a pool of his blood, they sing as they pick Henrys body up and off the floor hoisting him over their heads, they pass Henry over to each other paying respects as other students run in to the music room to see him, to offer help, a salute to his courage for standing up for them.

Henry the timid indigenous young man who stood up to fight the evil Demon Beleth and become the true,

Play Now Summit by Jonny Easton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMxChRdyp5I

Puppetmaster.

The End

Written By Colin R. Mah

Proofed by Cj Wolf

Credits:

Music and Sound:

Uniq

PuppetMaster

Title By CJ Wolf

Chapter 8 – Love and War

Play Now Blue Wednesday 90’s Kid https://spoti.fi/3suqCdQ

The evening sky arrives over the setting sun birthing shadows rise to the darkness, the school is quiet like a tomb on a frosty out lying patch of unattended grass for a relative, one who killed their family over a flame never extinguished from a lovers wrath; near the theatre. a mouse scurrying along the broken pavement is looking for a tasty morsel, he finds some crumbs on the pavement and starts to nibble. In one fell swoosh, a night owl grabs the unsuspecting mouse and rises off into the moonlight.

Henry throws the blanket off revealing Olivia, underneath. She is half dressed, and she giggles,” Henry Milles, there are people!” She rolls over accidentally falling off and onto the floor, she laughs as Henry peeks over the edge of the futon with a somewhat serious face,” Why are you on the floor?” She looks up as they both exchange loving laughs, she reaches for her shirt, sprawls, and grabs her jeans that were scattered in the heat of celebration. Henry helps her with her jeans passing them to her then turns over to greet his friends,

“Olivia and I are getting married.”

Gabriella responds, “Well, that’s great but it will have to wait, I think there is something big coming our way, and I don’ t mean in a good way.”

Henry asks Olivia if she has everything. She nods while she places one leg into her jeans followed by the other leg, she jumps up into the air zipping the jeans in the front, she lands on the floor and looks to Gabriella,

“What is it, Gaby?”

Erica jump’s in, “We heard a voice from the basketball gym followed by some music, then we saw something across the way, lots of little things and no not my brothers and his annoying friends, small like a doll or something.”

Play Now

Jude is eager to join the conversation, “It was the puppets, Supe. They seem to be alive. I heard someone scream so we went to check it out, then the door wedged open, I saw hundreds of little wooden arms poking through. They looked like” He swallows, “Marionettes. “Gabriella adds,

“It’s the puppets, they have been, I don’t know, all I know is I heard someone or something say a name, a voice just before whatever it is; entered the gymnasium, it said it was Beleth.”

“Who’ s Beleth?” Olivia now dressed asks.

Gabriella looks to Olivia, then to a bookshelf, she walks over to the shelf looking for something, searching. She has seen this somewhere before the name resonates with her.

“Where is it, I know it’s here, I was researching for a creative writing project in class.” She scans the shelves until she finds an old leather ripped book. it is titled ‘The Encyclopedic History of the Demonic World.’

“Ah, here it is.”

Shivon is annoyed, a common trait of hers when she is scared, “What the hell is going on? I was with Jude and then we, I, I …this is all too much, this can’t be for real?”

Gabriella speaks to the students, “I think this will explain everything or at least give us a clue, I hope you guys are spiritual because this is going to get, Real.” She dictates, turning to Shivon.

She continues,

“Okay, Beleth, spelled B-E-L…here it is, Beleth. A demon from a king of Hell who has eighty-five legions of demons under his command.” She looks up.

“Well, that’s comforting, great start.” She continues,

“According to Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, Noah‘s son Ham was the first in invoking him after the flood, and wrote a book on mathematics with his help.” She takes a breath,

“When appearing, he looks fierce to frighten the conjurer or to see if he is courageous. The conjurer must be brave and place a triangle in his hand, he must strike it towards the south, east, and upwards, then commanding Beleth into it.

The Dictionnaire Infernal states that to summon Beleth, the person should hold a silver ring on the middle finger of the left hand against his face, to pay respect to Beleth’s rank as king.”

Henry questions, “A conjurer? That means someone brought him into this world?”

Gabriella,”I suppose so? How else can he just appear, here and now out of all the years he’s here this very moment.”

Jude interrupts her as she continues to read,” It’s your creations, Henry. Did you conjure this?”

“Did you conjure this!” Jude is maddening.

Henry steps back, “Never, I don’t know anything, Jude, stay calm.“

Gabriella continues to scan the book looking for ways to defeat Beleth,” Look it says here that to defeat him one has to find the ring that was used, place it on the left ring finger, and sing, a new song provided by the lyrics of the…” She is it erupted.

Shivon defends Jude, “That’s right…It’s all Henry, he’s the conjurer!”

Gabriella yells, “Past! The songs heard before he kills someone.”

“IT’S NOT ME!”

Henry’s face grows angered, he steps forward as the veins in his forearms extrude from the skin, His heart races as the warmth flows through him.

“Step, away both of you! I have NOT AND WILL NOT be accused of this!” Henry’s anger fills his bones, he is conditioned to defend himself, conditioned enough in the ways of Aikido as a Second-degree black belt starting at the young age of 5. Most of the theatre students already know this as they have had conversations and demonstrations throughout the school year. Shivon backs away,

“We we’re just…you know…making sure.”

Gabriella asserts, “Henry, we have to find the ring.”

Erica watching the tension quickly adds, “Henry, can you sing?“

Henry nods, “Well I was in the school choir in grade four.”

Erica responds, ”Good enough, okay where do we find this ring?”

Gabriella adds, “We have to find out where he was conjured and who conjured him.”

Erica starts to laugh, ”Well that’s easy enough, A school of 1200 students and 100 or so teachers, we’ll find them in no time, not to mention it’s Sunday!”

Shivon leads in, ”It’s the music room, that’s where we saw the, whatever they are, escaping.”

Jude backs her statement, “Ya, Supe, ya that’s it, that’s the place, it has to be, man.”

Play Now
VIVEK ABHISHEK https://www.youtube.com/user/VivEKhsihbA

Gabriella answers, “Okay we go there and look for it.”

Just as Gabriella finishes her explanation, the lights in the school go off. Then like a wind-up toy a song is heard off into the distance:

The students can hear a mass of growling screams and tiny footsteps outside the door, somewhere down the long gothic hall, leading right to the theatre, the noises engulf the empty hallways. Jude stands firmly in front of the group protecting them, as they look at the door where the noises can be heard they are faint but as they charge down the hall, the noises become louder and louder. Henry speaks,”

Play Now!

“The loading door, let’s go.”

Henry leads the group through the winding back hallway into the loading area where the chest still remains. The noises reach the green room door, they crash through it and scatter the theatre, this is no audience Henry wishes to perform for, at least not yet.

Jude grabs the chain and releases the door to the back entrance as some students are arriving. For an early morning jog. They yell to the students to leave, and just as they do an army helicopter flies directly overhead.

Play Now

The helicopter hovers over the grassy area directly above Henry. Ropes flash down from it for a total of 20 or so as special forces slide down the ropes together in unison. They are wearing headgear, carrying assault rifles, and full army protective gear.

“Vector one, get behind us Now.”

Henry and the group acknowledge as the wind from the helicopter blasts the students. They look up and scatter to the parkade, they duck down and continue to watch as the special force officers enter the building.

The group meets other students arriving and explains what is happening or to the best of their knowledge, Henry is sitting on the grass as Olivia and the rest join him.

Shivon asks.”Well, all that and the military will take them out I am sure,”

Gabriella responds,”This demon, he cannot be stopped with material forces, we have to find the conjurer, they turn to Henry.”

“I’ll do it, it’s my fault these are here If I hadn’t made them.”

“It’s not your fault.” Erica concludes then extends,” I’ll help any way I can.”

Jude and Shivon add,” We will too…Supe.” Jude exclaims.

Henry looks at Olivia, she is worried.”Okay, you go with the military and get a ride out of here.” They look at a military man standing guard in the grass. She agrees. The group walks over to the military man, he looks at them and acknowledges them. As they do multiple trucks enter with a full battalion of tanks and other such vehicles.

“You’ll be safe here,” Henry comforts.

“You come back. We have a life to share.”

Henry agrees hugs her and continues,” Don’t go anywhere Infinity?”

“Infinity”

Henry, and the rest gather themselves and run off around the military through the parking lot and to the pathway that leads around the complex. Just as they do multiple machine guns fire, then screaming from inside.

Play now 😦

Suddenly a barrage of snarling puppets run out through the loading doors, the puppets charge with cheetah like speed rushing through the wide doors and onto the tundra of the grasses of a darkened landscape.

The unsuspecting battalion is surrounded by two hundred thousand mixed snarling puppets. With another 2 million ready to spread their paws out onto the grass filling the school, They pause, looking for their next prey and then attack like a swarm of army ants covering a piece of forgotten fruit, anything in their path. They finish quickly and begin to move swiftly through the grasses…

The mass of hungry snarling puppets close in on Olivia, as they approach, Olivia realises this will be her last day to see the sun shine, to have the heat fill her face turning skin slightly tan. This is unlike her journey escaping to London to start a new life from nothing, bettering herself for a bright future that is no more; there is no escaping, this no tipping hope to endure…

…her eyes spring like the lonely waters of a glacial melt, with longing tears, wishing to have longer on this earth to watch as her children grow, celebrating birthdays over a picnic table dressed in bright colour’ s over green parkways or with her family dancing, singing, making sand castles on a hot summers beach with the warm breeze flowing through her golden hair, admiring her husband, Henry the father he would become, playing like one of the children she would never know in the morning sand…

Olivia turns to Henry, as she reaches for him,

“Infinity.”

Henry Reaches for her, she is surrounded by hundreds of thousands of unrelenting puppets, she falls back as they rip her to pieces.

“Olivia, NOOOOOOOO!..Nooooo, nooooooo….

Henry continues his screams for her as Jude and the rest of the students struggle to grab him, he forces himself through, they finally grab him dragging him off into a treed area around the campus and out of sight.

To be concluded

Written by Colin R. Mah

Proofed by CJ Wolfe

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