Marionette Theatre

Uhh, not finished... no where near being finished... This is like, part 1 of 10 for this... =S

  

            They had walked past the Marionette Theatre many times, always gazing up at the three ominous figures that seemed to protect the monument, watching each person enter and leave unceremoniously. They weren’t marionettes, much too large for that, but they were carved gloriously from wood into three abnormally tall figures. One was a skeleton covered in a brown cloak; the empty spaces where his eyes should have been were black holes through which no light could be found. In the center of the three knelt, a fat court jester with only two wooden bells dangling off the ends of his worn hat. He wore a ruffle around his neck and pointy shoes upon his feet. The last, and perhaps scariest of them, stood on the left, his wings stretched out behind him, his nose pointy like a bird’s beak. His bowler hat completed his official look, and the piercing blue eyes he presented seemed to follow the passing crowds.

            Today was just like any other day, Matthew and Vivian walked past the theatre, glancing up at the wooden figures and reading the familiar sign below them, which read “Marionette Theatre”. Vivian stopped for a moment and stared up at them, her eyes following every curve carved into each figure.

            “They kind of creep me out. I know that we’ve had this discussion before, but today, they just seem creepier than normal.” Her eyes squinted as she looked at them, and she could have sworn that one of them blinked.

            “Yeah, they are creepy.” Matthew glanced up at them, and then looked at Vivian. “Come on, Viv, let’s get going.” He reached his hand out and clasped hers, pulling her with him along the crowded street.

            They walked the usual route to their favorite casual diner, sitting down at the two-person table in front of the large window that stared out to the busy street. Cars honked and pedestrians rushed on their way to work, or wherever it was that they were going. Winter had finally set in on the small town, and small, fluffy flakes of snow drifted from the clouds above the town landing silently upon the streets, people, and cars.

            Two menus sat at the table, waiting for the customers who took their seats to flip through and decide which delicious plate they would order. Matthew didn’t need a menu any more; he knew what they had and what he liked. Vivian, on the other hand, liked to browse the menu, even though she knew it by heart. She always searched for something new that would make her taste buds dance as she chewed it.

            Today she was disappointed to find that nothing new had been added since the previous night and she ordered her usual toast with peanut butter, and a peach. Matthew ordered as well, getting his usual eggs with toast.

            They sat in silence for a while, listening to the music being played through the jukebox. Eventually the plump waitress brought out their orders and slowly Matthew and Vivian started eating in silence.

            “Did you see the new sign posted in front of the Marionette Theatre?” A soft voice broke the silence that had engulfed the couple.

            “Yes, actually, I did.” Vivian glanced up at Matthew, assuming he had been the one to speak.

            “I’m not the one that said that, Viv. I thought it was you, but since you wouldn’t normally answer your own questions-“ his voice trailed off as he raised his eyes to meet hers.

            “A new show starts in an hour, you two should go.” This time they both listened intently to the soft voice of a man who could not be seen. Matthew’s eyes didn’t leave Vivian’s until a black and purple marble rolled out from between the folds of his unopened menu. It rolled across the table and clattered to the tiled floor beneath their feet. . Chatter seemed to be coming from the marble, as if it was someone’s thoughts being mumbled, and only a few magnified for others to hear.  As it rolled out the door of the diner Vivian heard that soft voice again, begging them to come to the show.

            “That was a bit odd.” Vivian stated bluntly. Her eyebrows were furrowed together as her and Matthew searched each other’s eyes for the comfort that they both sought.

            “Yes, a bit.” Matthew agreed uneasily. He waved down the waitress the next time she passed and requested the check. They both ate their food quickly before leaving in a hurry.

            The snow that had been falling was still falling steadily. The sidewalks were less crowded now, due to how late it had become and the thin layer of snow that had settled across everything. Vivian wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as Matthew and her made their way back up the street towards their houses.

            They passed the marionette theatre once again, this time not stopping to glance up at the figures, although Matthew did sneak a peak at the banner declaring show times. Sure enough, there was one that started in 45 minutes, and there were several shows the next day. He kept walking, thinking about the marble they had seen and what it could mean, or if it was just their imaginations getting a bit out of control after being confined within the school walls. 

Eventually they came to the end of the busy avenue and started walking along the side streets towards their houses. The thoughts about the marble still lingered in Matt’s mind, as well as in Vivian’s. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed as if she were thinking quite hard about something unknown to the rest of the world. Suddenly, her voice broke the silence.

            “Do you happen to know what show is playing at the theatre? I saw you glance at the times, just wondering if you also saw the name of the show.” Her brown eyes dug into the side of Matt’s head a little before she turned her attention back to the asphalt passing beneath them.

            “No, I didn’t see what show was playing. Why? Were you thinking of going or something?” Matt’s voice held a sliver of fear as he spoke; fear of what could befall them if they were to see the show. Now he knew his imagination was getting the best of him.

            “Oh, I don’t know. We haven’t been to that theatre in ages. Remember when we used to sit in it all day, watching the same show? Always the same show, every day for weeks on end. What show was it?”

            “It was Cinderella, you’re favorite fairy tale.” A weak smile graced Matthew’s face as he remembered the summers from when they were younger.

            “Yeah, that was it. Cinderella…” Her voice trailed off. They kept walking away from the theatre, down the quiet streets to their houses. Their pace gradually got slower until as one they stopped walking.

            “Why don’t we-”

            “We should-”

            Matt let out a sigh as Vivian laughed lightly.

            “You first.” She said, a small smile crawling across her face.

            “Why don’t we go back to the theatre and see what show is playing, it can’t hurt. Besides, it’ll be nice to be back in those red chairs again.”

            “Hey, we were thinking the same thing.” They turned around and started walking back towards the theatre. “It’s amazing how well we can read each other’s minds.”

            They went back to walking in silence, listening only to the soft scuff of Matthew’s shoes as he dragged his heels across the cement, his hands in his pockets, his eyes looking at something unseen by others.

            “So Matt, do you think we imagined that marble or,” Vivian paused for a moment, trying to phrase the rest of the question in her head, “er… I mean, do you think it might have been real?”

            “I’m not sure.” Matt’s eyes remained glazed, “I suppose it probably was our imaginations. I mean, how many talking marbles have there ever been in the course of history?” A halfhearted smile crossed his face as he lifted his now unglazed eyes from the ground and glanced at Vivian.

            “Yeah,” a small laugh, “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry, that was really stupid of me. I should have thought about it logically.” She didn’t seem convinced by what Matt had said, and he knew that. He had doubts about it too.

            Together they walked and talked, making their way back to the Marionette Theatre. Vivian walked to the door and glanced at the name of the play.

            “It’s Snow White. Not my favorite fairy tale, but still a good one. Want to go see it? It says that a show starts in about fifteen minutes, might be fun.” She shrugged her shoulders, still staring at the piece of paper taped to the inside of the door.

            “Yeah, sure. Why not?” At this statement, the door to the theatre swung open and a man with wild, graying hair and vivid green eyes stood in the doorway.

            “Ah, here to see the show? We have a very small audience today, but the show is wonderful!” An animated smile was plastered to his face. “You should come in, stay a while.” He moved to the side of the door, his arm still propping it open, waiting for Matt and Vivian to enter.

            “Oh um, thanks.” Matt took the door out of his hands and held it open for Vivian. “After you.” Timidly, she set her foot inside the door of the dark hallway that the theatre opened into.

            “I’m the puppet master, by the way. You may just call me Pat, if you’d like. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble remembering that name.” His expression remained the same as he spoke, never changing with his voice.

            “Thanks, Pat. I’m sure the show will be worth us coming.” Vivian flashed a false smile and walked slowly down the hall, allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the light compared to the glare from the snow.

            Matt followed behind her closely as they walked down the narrow hall to the last door on their right and made the sharp turn into one of the many rows of seats.

            “Oh, no. We have such a small audience, follow me. I’ll get you seated right up front.” Again, the never changing smile of Pat arrived in front of them.

            Vivian was startled by his sudden appearance but she followed him as he made his way up the aisle by the wall and to the front seats.

            “Here we are. You will have the best view out of the entire theatre. I should go now, the show must start on time.” Vivian took her seat and looked at the stage, then glanced at Matt who still hadn’t sat in the red chair.

            “The chairs are just as I remember them, Matt.” Vivian’s smile was like that of a child’s in a candy shop.

            “I don’t like that guy. There’s something weird about the way he shows up out of nowhere and-”

            “Oh, Matt, stop being paranoid. Sit down and enjoy the show with me.” Vivian cut off his concerns and pulled his hand, forcing him to take a seat in the empty chair next to her. He let out a soft sigh and seemed to relax slightly.

            Matt looked around the theatre, assuming he’d see a small audience, but to his surprise he didn’t see another living person; just him and Vivian. The lights began to dim as his eyes fell back onto the dark green curtains that covered the large puppet stage.

            “We’re the only ones here, Viv.” He whispered out of the corner of his mouth at Vivian. She barely heard him and shushed his soft voice before really understanding what he had said.

            The curtains slowly rose, and there stood the puppet master with his crazy hair and green eyes. Matt studied him closely, taking in every lose thread on his brown corduroy jacket, and the way his dark blue pants clashed with the vibrant orange and pink polka dotted bow tie around his neck. A smile that sent chills up Matt’s back still smeared across his face. His hands were clasped in front of him as his low voice reverberated around the empty theatre.

            “Welcome to the show. We seem to have a fairly small crowd this morning,” his eyes were directed straight at Vivian who smiled and watched eagerly as he spoke. “I hope you enjoy the show, remember to stay afterwards to have a word with me, ask any questions you can think of.”

            Vivian clapped quietly as he walked off stage and a small curtain dropped behind where he had been standing. Matt’s feeble attempt to clap was obvious, as was his distraction from the show.

            Vivian stared at the stage, watching curtains rise and fall, scenes change, puppets go on and off stage, listening to the puppeteer’s voice change with the different characters. For her, only five minutes had passed before the show was drawing to a close and the last curtain fell.