Puppet Theater (standard:horror, 1026 words)
Author: Pamela Gates	Added: Jul 25 2006	Views/Reads: 3488/2151	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Things aren't always what they seem at the Theater.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


Mikey never came out. 

I could finally take it no longer and approached an older woman working
the sales counter. “Excuse me. I'm looking for-” 

“I know.” Her green eyes lit up as they met my gaze. 

Silver hoop earrings hung from her earlobes. A shiny bandana pulled back
her raven hair. She wore a long, black dress with short sleeves. A 
dozen glitter bracelets clattered on her wrists as she brought a 
marionette out from underneath the counter. 

One look at the doll, and I fell in love. A patch of flaming red atop
the wooden boy's head intoxicated me, sent a whirling fog into my 
brain. And those blue eyes were perfection. What had I been looking 
for? 

“Raggedy Andy,” I whispered. Yes, I was looking for a Raggedy Andy doll.


My fingers curled around the smooth wood. I could not wait to show it to
Jack and, sure enough, he was just as charmed by it as I'd been. We 
paid for the doll, then left the theater. The air outside had grown 
chilly, the sky darker. The sun crept lower and lower toward the 
horizon. 

The cage was no longer open, but a small creature with flaming red fur
poked its stubby fingers through the mesh of wire. Its sad, blue eyes 
seemed to beg for something. Maybe it was hungry. I felt I should 
recognize that hair, those eyes, but all I could think about was my new 
doll. 

Jack and I walked to the car, the marionette gripped tightly in my hand.
I stared at the doll, then glanced over my shoulder. Was I forgetting 
something? 

“You know, I don't really like the name Andy,” my husband said. 

I opened my car door and crawled inside. I set the doll on my lap, could
not help smoothing the red hair away from the boy's face. “Me, either. 
What do you think about Mikey?” 


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