Tree of Wishes

Broken Puppet Strings: A Cypress Perspective

"Hello. May I help you?" she said with the proper level of politeness expected from her.

"We're here to see Annabelle Bambola," I said. "We simply wish to ask her a few questions."

Her grip on the door tightened, averting her gaze as she contemplated on what to say. She was hiding something.

"I'm very sorry, but Annabelle isn't accepting visitors right now," she said. "Perhaps another day..."

I stepped forward and grabbed the door, looking her straight in the eye as I calmly yet firmly insisted, "No. It must be today. I'm aware that this isn't her home, and I don't want to find out that she left before I have a chance to speak with her."

The maid swallowed, intimated by this gesture. "Um... a-alright. Follow me..."

We followed her upstairs and down the barren, blue hallway to a door at the end. As we were walking, I took note of the fancy, expensive furniture that fulfilled the bare minimum requirements of a home, and the complete absence of any pictures or decorations other than the laced curtains. It must have made the maid's job very simple.

The maid gave the plain, white door a gentle knock and said, "Madam Annabelle? There's someone here to see you."

"Who is it?" asked a voice from the other side. I recognized it belonging to the woman we were searching for.

The maid looked to me for answers. I decided to take over and said, "My name is Cypress H. Sylvan. I wish to speak to you about your visit to Lagdrygis."

"I don't know what that is," the voice lied.

"It's the tree at the top of the mountain. I know you were there."

"You have no proof."

I sighed, realizing this was going nowhere. "Look, you're not in trouble. All I need is the name of your power, and then we can go home. No one else needs to know about this."

"Who else is with you, Mr. Sylvan?"

"My dog, Anubis."

There was no response. However, I could have sworn I heard whispering coming from the other side. A moment later, the voice asked, "Is he a big dog?"

I glanced down and saw Anubis had resumed his canine form, leaving the maid covering her mouth in shock. Smart boy. "No, he's about the size of a corgi."

"You may come in then."

Now that I'd gained her permission, I opened the unlocked door and entered the bedroom with Anubis beside me. Like the rest of the place, there was only the essentials needed to call this a bedroom, including a large, black silk bed, dresser, and cushion chair. Annabelle was sitting on the chair in the corner facing towards us, and she was not alone. Standing beside her was a human-sized puppet with painted features to mimic the real thing, from its spiky, brown hair to its smooth, peachy skin. It was dressed up in traditional butler clothes that, judging from the worn patches and stitching, must have belonged to someone else.

I politely bowed and said, "Good day, Miss Annabelle. I see you've been enjoying your new powers. If I can just have the name..."

"Stop," she said in an authoritative tone, then shifted her gaze down to Anubis. "Have him come over."

Anubis walked over to her without needing the order, maintaining his silence as he sat at her feet, his eyes curious of the puppet that seemed to stare back at him with its own brown, wooden eyes.

Annabelle picked up Anubis and rested him on her lap, petting his back as she said, "I'll explain everything. I don't like questions, so I'm only telling you what I feel is necessary. You are going to stand there and listen, and then you and your dog will leave. Do you understand?"