Curtain Down

Chapter 11 - Coincidence?

Author's Note: Well, here I am again with the next chapter :) I hope you enjoy it!

Dedication: For xImprintedx. For supporting me with your lovely comments. For enjoying my work. For thinking I have it in me to one day make it, that my stories could be something someday. I'll hold onto that :) Thank you :)

*****

You know when you’re walking down the street, and you see someone you really don’t like, so you try and get out of their line of sight? Well, that was exactly my feeling when I saw the high and mighty Erik Kral just a few metres away. Before I could manage to find an alley to duck into he’d seen me and waved. I groaned and thought I’d best speak to him, just in case it was business.  “Hello.” I said.

“Ah, hello. I...um...can we just be friends? I know that...well, I’ve not exactly been nice-“

“What do you want?”

“Sorry?”

“I said: what do you want me to do? I’ll think about it.”

“I...” Erik averted his gaze and stared intently at a house across the street “I want you to come and look at those puppets.”

“Bring them round, what’s the problem?”

“Well,” Erik looked around, his cheeks flushing red. He ran his fingers through his hair and blurted out “they dance at night.” I looked at him in disbelief, not quite hearing his words. This only caused his face to grow redder “I know, it sounds stupid. But they...they move at night.”

“The puppets...” I said, a smirk on my face “move. At night.” I grinned “by themselves I suppose.”

“Yes.” Said Erik, obviously with great difficulty.

“I’ve got news for you, boy. Someone is messing with you, you might want to double your guards.”

“I don’t live in a palace, you know.”

“But you have guards, right?”

“Well...”

“See! Just get them to find whoever is messing with you-“

“Just...just come anyway. Please? Look, you’re coming over anyway to show my father and his friends a demonstration anyway.”

“I’m what?” I said, confused.

“Oh, your uncle mustn’t have told you yet-“

“You know what? I’ll come. Just stop bothering me about it. I’ll come and have a look at your puppets and then you can realise what an idiot you’ve been.”

“Thank you...I think.”

As I parted ways with Erik, I thought about the strange coincidence. Puppets seemed to be a problem in Prague, as of late, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. First the murders, then Ryba and now Erik. I shook my head, wondering who these people were...and why they were doing things like this.

“Hello, Uncle.” I called as I walked into the workshop.

“Ah, Anna. Have a nice day?”

“It was...alright. Did you tell Lord Kral that I’d be going over for a demonstration?”

“Oh, yes. I did. Could you go tonight?”

I groaned inwardly, I’d have to tell Ryba I couldn’t come over again. “Alright, as long as it’s worthwhile.”

“Oh, it will be. Don’t worry. They’re sure to buy something soon.”

“I hope so. Anyway, I’ll be back soon...I hope.” I said, going out of the door for the second time that day.

*****

Alexandur Vasilescu was deep in thought, watching the people of Prague go about their daily business. He was troubled by the amount of murders in the paper...all of them puppet related. He sighed “maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come back to Prague, Henric.”

“I never said it was. You were the one with unfinished business.”

“I know, but this can’t be left as it is. We need to find them, but I have no idea who they could be.”

“The puppet theatres might be a good place to start. Everyone seems to go there and it won’t look suspicious either. Just two gypsies making the most of the entertainment whilst they’re in the city.”

“Two gypsies?” Said Alex, a smile playing upon his face.

“Well, you don’t think I’d let you go alone, do you? I’d miss all the fun.”

“Of course...” Said Alexandur, trailing off. “But we aren’t here to have fun. We need to get in, get out. That was the plan.”

“Plans can never account for what is to come.”

“Indeed.”

“So, what do you say we go to see the puppets without strings?”

“I say we do. Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“Yes! We don’t have a show then.”

“Just remember, Henric,” said Alexandur, staring into space “things like this don’t happen by accident.”

“Coincidence?” Suggested Henric.

“There is no such thing as a coincidence.”

*****

A puppet's head peered around a corner in the maze of back alleys. It swivelled its eyes left and right, checking the coast was clear. It dragged bloodied strings behind it, leaving a fine red trail in its wake. Its knife was hidden in its robe but it wouldn’t stay hidden for long. Oh, no. It would be out before long. After dark, the puppet would be ready. It would be out to cause terror upon those who stood in its way. For that was its purpose. Its goal. Its mission.

The puppet looked around, trying to find its next victim. It had to be the right person, it couldn’t be someone wrong.  The creator wouldn’t like that.  The creator would have to destroy the puppet, putting a new one in its place. The creator doesn’t like mistakes. Everything has to be perfect. Without perfection, there is no point. No meaning. That’s what they believed anyway.

If a thing of wood could sigh, this one would have. What is the point in having life breathed into something if its existence was pointless? Is this what it existed to do? Is it? The puppet scanned the row of houses and spied a group of people sitting at a table, laughing. They looked so happy...such bright smiles. Two children, a girl and a boy. The children wouldn’t do, not these ones. The puppet was about to pass by the house when something caught its eye. A baby. An infant. If it were possible, the grin on the puppets face would have spread wider. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but the painted smile seemed to gleam. The red lips dripping with blood. But then it was gone. It was just a puppet again. A puppet with an evil intent. Yes, this would make the creator happy. The creator would be pleased with the puppet.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

*****

Author's Note: I hope you liked this. Not much happened but it was building up to other things. Maybe you're confused by the whole 'creator' thing, but all in good time :) Thank you for reading and I love hearing your thoughts!