The Puppet

The Puppet: Part II- Running Out of Air

 The definition of a puppet is a portable figure that is controlled by a puppet master. That describes my situation pretty well. To recap, I am the editor of the Louisville Times, and lost my mother and sister to a mysterious train wreck several years ago. Then, a reporter came to the Times who is actually my secret brother. If it couldn't get anymore insane, he locked me in an underground prison.

You may ask, how exactly is he surviving? Doesn't he need food, water, and oxygen? Well, those there my priorities right after I had a mental break down. I looked around the apartment for an escape, but it just did not exist. So, I decided to find the resources that were essential for my survival. There are vents (probably coming from above ground) that give me air, water comes normally from the faucet and sink, there is a sewage system, and basically everything else. The pantry works like a shaft and goes up everyday at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time. It also occasionally brought snacks. It looked vaguely familiar, but I didn't spend too much attention on it. This place must have been thought of, built, and made years ago and I had no idea. I had no idea about any of this! To think, that I have never really had a life and it was all a synthetic lie broke some sturdy emotional walls inside me. I lost count of days like all the prisoners do in the movies, and it hurt to know that I became one of those people. After maybe weeks or a month, I got a letter

Do you want to get out? You are going to have to prove it to me. One by one I am cutting off your resources. If you survive, I am going to let you out. If don't survive, well, it won't really matter then. Good luck.

Sincerely,

Derek

Immediately, the light dimmed to a point where I could only faintly see my hand. The pipes began shaking and kept on going for five minutes, and then stopped. I went to turn on the faucet, and water didn't come out- sewage did. I gasped and ran away from the horrid site. My hand was putrid, but I had no choice because I did not want to find out what the shower was going to offer. I took a billion napkins and cleaned my hand. Now, how do I get water? He did give me bottled water I remembered. I ran to the pantry and grabbed as many as bottles as I could, but the shaft shot up and the rest was gone. I have five bottles of water- death is so close I can feel its breath.

The next morning I woke up to find that the air vents weren't as loud as they usually are. I went to check, and you probably guessed this but, two out of the four vents were not working, and the air conditioning was gone. I could feel heat wrapping around me tighter and tighter every moment. That night I actually believed that I was in Hell, I must have been. There is no other explanation for being held hostage in an underground, hot room with no water and air which is lessing every second. Then, air vents then stopped completely. Let me rephrase, that I am in an underground, hot room with barely any water and no water or fresh air. The shaft suddenly came down and I prayed for water. There is a God because it carried water and spectacular food- breadsticks, a warm tender chicken, desserts which made my mouth water. There was a note-

This isn't your meal. This is. Also, this meal is our last.

A portion of the counter went under the counter and brought up a banana and a pint of water. I could tell the shaft was about to take its final departure. This was it. My moment- the plan that I had been creating for days would have to go into plan now or less I was dead. I could hear the wheel screeching indicating it was time. The shaft went up, and I jumped onto it. The cool winds from my ride up, brought me some relief and comfort. But I knew, that it wasn't going to last long. I could see the wheel coming closer and slower, pulling more and more rope. The shaft finally stopped and I entered my house! I was in my living room. The shaft from which I entered was my bookcase. How? How did this psychopath manage to convert my bookcase into a shaft which went to a secret underground dungeon. His voice was calm and smooth, "So you managed to survive?", he said while he grinned a dirty, villainous smile.

I wanted to charge at him, but banged my head forcefully into something.I don't how I hadn't this before, but I was in a glass encasement. How idiotic am I? it was connected to the bookcase and surrounded me. "I anticipated this would happen. In fact, I anticipated that everything that happen, would happen. I am not going to waste time with your pathetic cries on 'why was it me' and I am going to cut to it. You are going to leave this house, and are going to live your life normally. Except, you are not going to be doing everything the same. Everyday after work, you are going to be finding out certain information for me. You are going to be finding the rest of the family- mother, sister, and that dreaded man known as our father- whom are in fact alive.