The Boy Who Plays with Marionettes

​Up on a dark hill where rain filled clouds brushed the peak, sat a desolate, warn down mansion. There were strange rumors that spread through every greedy ear and out telling mouths about the family that lived there. Some people said that the house was abandoned while others could argue that there was indeed life atop that hill, besides the roaches and rats that crawled within its rotten walls.

​However, the most peculiar rumors that circulated town were about the lonely boy who was always spotted at the bottom of the hill and was only ever seen playing with a set of ragged marionette dolls. Unlike most boys who played sports and rough housed, he tended to steer away from crowds and opted to make friends with the invisible faces of things no one else could see.

​His name was Timothy Crook, an outcast who the adults stayed away from. Not that he minded since he found peace within his solitude. But that didn't stop others from trying to make him miserable. Every day, people would talk about him right in front of him, saying the nastiest things their twisted minds could think of.

​"I heard he was an orphan," said a whispering teacher.

​"I heard his parents died and are still rotting away in that mansion of theirs. Not like anyone wants to go anywhere near that cursed place and check for themselves," said Timothy's homeroom teacher.

​It was a day like any other day for Timothy. It was like no matter where he went, those gray rain clouds followed overhead of him. He was constantly shadowed in misfortune, and perhaps the clouds were a sign of that.

​And just like any other day, Timothy sat alone in the courtyard while the other kids played amongst themselves and cheered with delight. It was a sound that made him jealous because they never made such joyous cries for him. It was always screams of terror or tears of fright. What was wrong with him, he thought. Why was everyone always so afraid of him?

​"Look, it's that weirdo kid again," said a boy named Rueben who was in the same class.

​"Just look at him. Doesn't he just give you the creeps? He looks like a walking corpse."

​"Yeah! And he smells like one too!"

​It was true that Timothy wore old fashioned clothes. His skin was pale, and he was almost all skin and bone. A walking corpse fit his description rather perfectly. He ignored them since it was nothing new. There bad mouthing was something his ears had become accustomed to hearing, and thus he built a wall around his blackened heart.

​He took out his favorite toys, the one thing his parents gave him which he always held close. Timothy made them dance as he manipulated their strings. "What's that father? You wish to dance with mother? Why, I think I would like to see that very much." The dolls intertwined and embraced each other with wooden arms and swayed back in forth in a melodic rhythm.

​He hummed a little ditty his mother would hum to him to help him fall asleep at night when he was afraid of the dark. "What you got there?" said a cute, innocent voice. He looked up and he immediately thought an angel was smiling down on him.

​Her hair was the color of gold and unlike the clouds that hung over him, sunshine beamed down on her and cast a halo in her beautiful blonde locks. Her green eyes were livelier than any grove and the freckles on her cheeks reminded him of dew drops on a flower's petals in the morning rain.

​"If you talk to me, they'll only make fun of you too," he said dejected.

​"Oh, who cares what they think! I can do whatever I want, and right now I want to know more about you." But who on earth would want to know anything about him? No one's ever shown such curiosity about him before. Or at least hear the truth about him, and not just take what they will from mindless rumors.

​"Well do yourself a favor and just go away. If you haven't heard, everyone thinks I'm some kind of freak…" She puffed out her cheeks and looked at the boys who continued to mock and laugh at him. She stood up and marched over to them, and from the corner of Timothy's eye he could see them arguing, followed by the girl kicking dirt in Rueben's eyes.

​"You stupid girl! What's your problem?" Rueben said angrily while trying not to cry.

​"You lot need to learn better manners! I could say a lot of mean things about you too you know. Like how you're fat and ugly and have a peanut for a brain!"

​His friends tried not to snicker but couldn't help themselves. Their fearless leader just got owned by a girl and now their laughter was directed at him instead. With a flip of her hair, she walked back over to Timothy triumphantly.

​"There! Now they've stopped with all that rubbish!"

​Timothy didn't know if he could trust her or not, but still, that was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. But he still couldn't figure out why. "You've really done it now. Why would you do something like that for someone you don't even know?"

​She thought for a second and then her smile grew even wider. "Because I couldn't just stand by and let them be mean like that to you. I used to be bullied like that back in my hometown too."

​"Bully you? For what? You seem normal to me."

​"Well, how do you define normal? Everywhere, normal means something different. But if you really want to know why." She lifted the bottom of her skirt to reveal a brace around her left leg. "I'm crippled. I've got a bad leg you see, so as you can imagine people had a lot of mean things to say about me as well."

​She was so open about the things that made her different. She was bullied for the things that made her stand out, and she was proud of those differences. It made Timothy want to be like her and have the courage to show everyone what he was really like too. "My name's Esther! I just moved to America from England, and I don't have any friends yet. Think you could my first one?"

​A friend? He had always wanted one of those. He looked at her and when she smiled at him, he could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. It was a new sensation, but it wasn't displeasing to him in the slightest. "I'm Timothy. It's nice to meet you, Esther. But like I said before, you really are better off avoiding me unless you want to get dragged down too."

​She glared at him and smacked him on the back of his head. "Stop that already! I don't care what they have to say about me or you or anyone! I want to be friends with you, dummy."

​He couldn't understand why she was being so persistent, but he liked that about her. A small smile lifted on the corners of his mouth. "Alright then, let's be friends."

***

​Eight years had passed since then and the leaves on the trees soon went from green to golden browns and reds as soon as September started. Timothy and Esther had become inseparable, and when they were spotted hanging out around town, they of course caught the stare of wandering eyes. But when Esther was by his side, he wasn't so self-conscious of them anymore. He was her sword, and she, his armor.

​"Two vanilla ice cream cones please!" Esther asked politely to the shop clerk who went and scooped them their sweet, delicious treats. "That'll be two cents then." He brought them to the young adults whom Esther handed the money and the two walked back outside to sit on the curb while they ate.

​Timothy stared at his ice cream cone. He stared so long that it started to drip down his hand. "Hey, what's wrong with you? You've never had ice cream before?"

​"My mother said that sweets are bad for my teeth. She would never allow me to eat something like this," he said anxiously.

​"Well, how on Earth would she find out? It's not like she's here. Come on! It'll be our little secret!" He hesitated and pulled the female marionette out from his pants pocket and gave it a long look. He smiled and nodded before setting it down.

​"Alright then. I think she'd approve of this one time anyways. Since I'm eating them with a friend after all."

​They ate and laughed, and soon the sun was beginning to set. "Oh darn. It's starting to get late. When I'm with you I have so much fun that I just lose track of the time!" With the help of Timothy, he was able to help her stand back up on her feet.

​"I can help you walk home. A young woman shouldn't be unaccompanied when it starts to get dark."

Esther smirked before faking a sigh and leaned on him. "Since when have you ever considered me a young woman? Timothy Crook, you've become quite the charmer, haven't you?"

The tips of his ears turned pink. He looked towards the ground and fiddled with his thumbs. "You've always been very beautiful to me Esther. It's just that, now that we're older, I'm not scared to tell you that anymore."

She was just teasing him, but she never expected him to give such a serious answer. Now she herself was starting to feel flustered. "Timothy, I-"

"Well look what we have here! The cripple and the corpse," said the low based voice of Rueben who had only gotten fatter over the years, and meaner too.

"What's this then? Are you two on some kind of date? I bet if you two got married and had kids they'd be the ugliest things alive."

Esther's face turned red with fury as she stomped over to him and gave him a shove. "That big fat mouth of yours never ceases to amaze me! Why, were you raised by savages? Timothy is more man than you will ever be!"

"Oh yeah? Well then if he's such a strong man then have him prove it then. Let's see him try to protect his woman." Rueben shoved Esther to the ground whose head hit the pavement, rendering her unconscious.

"Esther!" Timothy ran to her side and held her in his arms. Blood dripped from the back of her skull which he tried to suppress by pressing on her wound. "What's wrong with you? You'll ruin her!"

"Scared I'm going to mess up that pretty face of hers? Nah, I'm not going to do that. It's the one good quality that cripple has." Rueben spat on her, and Timothy glared at him with hatred boiling inside of him. He wanted to hurt him for what he did to his precious doll.

Rueben saw a string hanging out of Timothy's pocket and swiftly snatched it away from him. "Seriously? You're still playing with crap like this?"

"Let. That. Go." Timothy's voice rang like the bells of Satan's church. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of threat? I'd love to see you do something. You're always all talk but you never do anything about it, freak." Rueben started snapping the strings of the marionette one by one. And with each snap, Timothy felt like he was about to lose himself.

"I warned you." Rueben laughed but felt a strange sensation in his hand. When he looked down, the marionette was shaking and twitching, almost as if it was alive. "What the hell? AH!" The marionette had taken ahold of his thumb and snapped it back, forcing him to drop it. He held up his injured hand and took a step away. What kind of black magic was this?

"I knew it! You're cursed Timothy! You and that rotten house of yours can go burn in hell!" Rueben ran away scared, crying like a little baby over his snapped back thump which throbbed in pain.

"Ugh, Timothy? Is that you?" Esther slowly opened her eyes to see her best friend looming over her. As soon as he heard her voice, he calmed down and held her close to him.

"Don't do something like that ever again! We need to get you to a hospital, you're bleeding!" She held a finger up to his mouth to silence him.

"I'm alright. It's just a little flesh wound. Nothing my father can't stitch back up for me when I make it home." Whenever she made up her mind, there was no arguing with her at that point.

***

Esther was able to make it back home with the help of Timothy who lent her a shoulder to lean on while they walked. The two didn't speak about what happened, but Timothy didn't need to hear her to know that she was afraid. Her body couldn't stop shaking and she never looked away from her feet.

They made it to her front porch and Timothy knocked on the door. When her father opened the door, Timothy explained what happened. "I'm so sorry sir. It's all my fault." He felt an incredible amount of guilt for what happened to her. If only she wasn't friends with him.

"You're damn right it's your fault." Timothy looked up with wide eyes. "I learned a lot about you from the townsfolk. You're nothing but trouble, and I wish I'd learned that sooner."

"But father! Timothy is a good man! He saved me!" Esther argued back.

"No buts! He might have saved you, but he also put you in danger. They say he killed his parents you know. No daughter of mine is going to be friends with a murderer." He pulled Esther behind him into the safety of their home. "I don't ever want to say your face around here ever again. Leave, before I call the police." He slammed the door in his face, leaving Timothy stunned.

Timothy was at a loss for words. He left quietly but as he made that lonesome journey home, he wasn't truly alone. His demons followed him and whispered in his ear.

People will never accept you.

"I know they won't. But what am I supposed to do. I try so hard to be good, but that does nothing for me."

They want to take her away from you.

"I can't help it that her bigoted father can't see reason! I'm good for her, I know I am. I would take good care of her for the rest of her life."

Then just take her. She's yours after all.

Timothy stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around like a deranged man who was about to lose his mind.

"He's doing it again, talking to himself. Poor fellow," said a bystander across the street. "Maybe what they say about him is true. He's sick in the head he is."

"No, I'm not sick! There's nothing wrong with me! Why does everyone treat me so poorly!" Timothy started to run. He hated this town and the people he had the displeasure of calling his neighbors. The only person he ever cared about was gone. Without Esther by his side, he no longer had the strength of mind to block out everyone else.

He ran all the way home and stood in front of that eye sore of a mansion that people wished would just disappear. He opened the large wooden doors that echoed throughout its dusty, empty halls. "I'm home," he said to no one but the darkness. "Are you here mother?" He maneuvered through the black hallways of his home towards the kitchen and flipped on the light switch. He smiled when he saw the silhouette of his mother standing by the sink. "Ah, there you are."

He walked over and hugged her from behind, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. "I've had a terrible day today. Esther got hurt and now her father won't allow me to see her anymore. But without her, I am nothing." She turned her head to speak in his ear something only he could hear. "I couldn't possibly do that. What if she tells me no?"

He leaned his ear towards her again as she spoke quietly, and he nodded in agreement. "The worst she could do is say no. I suppose you're right. We are twenty years old now. If she wants to spend forever with me then that is her choice, not anyone else's!" He kissed her on the cheek before leaving. Whatever the outcome may be, he had faith that Esther would stay by his side.

***

After having a long, drawn-out argument with her parents, Esther finally gave up and turned in for the night. But she was restless thinking about how Timothy might be feeling right now. It was cruel of her dad to say those things to him when he knows nothing about him. Timothy was kind and had a gentle soul. She had never said these words to him before, but she was madly in love.

While lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the sound of pebbles hitting her window. She stood up and used her cane to limp over to her window and gasped with delight when she saw Timothy standing outside. "What are you doing out there?" she said delighted.

"Obviously I came for you! Do you think you can come meet me outside? I have something I need to ask you."

"My parents should be in bed by now, so I think it'll be fine. I'll be down in just a moment!" She excitedly raced down the stairs but tried to be quite as to not awaken her family. When she made it outside, she quickly stepped towards Timothy and threw her arms around him.

"When my father forbade you to see me, I truly didn't think you'd come back, especially in the same night."

"That's because I have something important I need to ask you, and I can't wait a second longer." He knelt on the ground and pulled out an extravagant diamond ring. "Esther Fowler, you became my everything when I thought I had nothing left to lose. And when your father tried to take you away, I just couldn't let that happen."

Esther held her hands over her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes. "Are you doing what I think you're doing? You must have gone crazy!"

"I'm only crazy about you. If you say yes, we can leave tonight. I'll take you to my home and we can finally be together forever where no one can try and tear us apart." His eyes shined with desperation, afraid at what her next words would be. They were never an established couple, but they didn't need to put a label on themselves before to know exactly how each other felt for one another.

"When you got hurt, one thing crossed my mind. I should have done more to protect you and keep you safe. And if you come with me, I'll make sure that you will never be hurt ever again."

"How could I say no? I love you, you idiot!" She kissed him, and he was so shocked by her sudden show affection that he almost froze. But once the shock settled, he wrapped his arms around her passionately and kissed her deeply. He slipped the ring on her finger, and she stared at with stars reflecting in her eyes.

There was no more time to waste. Esther ran inside her house and grabbed only her essentials and nothing more. After she was finished, she returned outside with her suitcase in hand. "Alright then, let's get going. I don't want to look back."

Timothy smiled and took her hand in his, leading her on a path towards her new life. He was nervous though because this was the first time he was going to bring a guest over to his home. And the first person he was going to introduce to his parents.

***

​It was well into the night now since the walk to his home in the woods was a long one. "Are you alright?" Timothy asked his bride to be. She already had a hard time walking because of her leg, but having to go uphill must have been even more demanding on her body.

​"Just tired is all. I can see we're almost at the top, so I'll be fine." Up the road she could begin to see his house come into view, and it was definitely a sight to behold. She could tell that sometime in the past it used to be a lavish construction, but time had not been kind to it. It looked abandoned, almost haunted. She understood why the townsfolk had so many rumors about this place, but that wasn't going to scare her off. Her precious Timothy lived there, and soon, so would she.

​They made it to the peak and Timothy opened the large wooden doors and escorted her inside. Instantly, her nose was hit with the scent of something foul, but she couldn't quite place what it was. However, she was expecting it to not be in the best condition. Esther deduced that the smell was most likely mold and mildew. Nothing a little cleaning wouldn't be able to fix.

​"I must admit, I am anxious that you are here. I've never brought anyone over before," he said to her with a blush on his cheeks and sweat dripping down from his forehead.

​"Oh! The first person I want you to meet is my mother! She gave me that ring for you to have so it would be best if I introduced you to her first."

​"I'd be happy to meet your mother! You've talked about her so much, but I've never once seen her in town." Esther looked down at her clothes and saw that the base of her dress had gotten dirty from the hike. "I'm filthy. I hope that doesn't bother her," she said meekly.

​"Filthy? Perish the thought. You are perfect just the way you are. Come, this way. I'll take you to her." He grabbed her hand and lead the way. One thing Esther noticed was how incredibly dark it was inside. Maybe his mother was sensitive to the light.

​They entered the kitchen which was his mom's favorite room in the whole house. "Mother, I'm back! And I've brought my bride! You were right, I never should have doubted Esther's love for me."

​"Nice to meet you ma'am," she said as she squinted her eyes. She could barely make anything out, but she did see someone standing in the kitchen on the far side of the wall. But the smell, oh the smell was so bad it was almost unbearable to stand. It was the smell of rotting flesh.

​"Don't be shy. Come over here and greet her." Slowly, his mother started walking closer. But with every step she took Esther could have sworn she heard metal and crunching bones.

​Her heart began to pound in her chest. Something wasn't right, and her instincts were never wrong, or so she thought. When his mother stepped close enough for her to see, she almost choked on her own vomit. Esther fell back in fear but was so terrified that a scream could not escape her mouth.

​Timothy's mom was a walking, rotting corpse. Her skin was dry like leather and her hair had maggots crawling around inside it. She noticed metal hinges attached to her joints which helped her to move, and strings which pulled her body from the ceiling.

​"Esther, meet my mother. Isn't she beautiful?" he said innocently, acting like this was all completely normal behavior.

​"Oh my god, Timothy, what on Earth have you done?" Her voice trembled at the horror she witnessed. This wasn't right, this was inhuman. How could someone think up to do something so horrendous? This was not the man she thought she knew at all.

​"I haven't done anything. Mother is just the way she should be." He set his sights on her, and his eyes looked more like a demon's than they did human. "You're going to be a part of our family now. Is that any way to speak to your future mother-in-law?" He walked closer to her, and she could tell that something bad was about to happen.

​When he kneeled so that they could be face to face, she scratched him in the eyes causing him to howl out in pain. She took her chance and ran as fast as her crooked leg would take her. It was dark so it made it hard to see, but she remembered the turn of the hallways as she followed along the wall.

​Timothy groaned as he rubbed his eyes. He didn't want this to be difficult, he expected so much more out of her. Can't she see that he was doing this all for her? He took out the male marionette from his pocket and started to make it walk. "Don't let her get away."

​She was so close to the front door; she could see the light peeking through the cracks underneath it. "God, if you're listening, please save me from this horrid place!" She reached the door handle and was about to pull it open when a gangly hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her away.

​She was spun around, and another monstrosity was in front of her now. Judging by the clothes and the hair, this corpse was a male unlike the one she saw in the kitchen. She shrieked as the monster wrapped his arms around her and refused to let her go.

​"Good job father. That was almost a close one, she nearly got away," said Timothy as he approached her, emerging from the shadows. Esther could not stop crying. Why was he doing this to her? And what was he planning to do next?

​"Why Timothy? I trusted you! I believed you when you told me all those rumors were lies!"

​"Because those rumors are lies. I never killed my parents. They're here, don't you see? They might have died once, but with the help of some friends, I was able to bring them back. And this way, I won't ever have to lose them again."

​"And what kind of friends would allow you to do this? Oh Timothy, what have you done?"

​"I did what I had to do to save my family. Mother and father were so ill, and they were suffering. What was a little boy to do all alone in this world?"

​"So, you think that makes it alright? Communicating with demons has corrupted you so badly that you can't even see what these monsters really are!" she screamed at him. He wasn't making any sense. So, making deals with a demon was the right thing to do for him to live out this sick fantasy of his?

​"That's not your mother, and that's not your father! They're corpses for Christ's sake! Open your eyes!" Timothy grabbed her by the face and glared at her. He was far too gone to be reasoned with. "Don't be rude, you're going to hurt their feelings."

​He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a handkerchief and poured a chemical into it. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're nice and comfortable."

"Timothy, I thought you said you loved me! Please, don't do this!" Esther begged. She could only imagine what was about to become of her.

​"I'm doing this because I love you. This way, you will never be put in danger again. And you will stay beautiful forever." He held the cloth up to her mouth and she instantly started to feel tired. She fought as hard as she could, but soon, her visioned turned black.

***

​When Esther opened her eyes, she couldn't move her body at all. She scanned the room and for some reason, everything looked so much bigger than her. Almost as if she was shrunken down. "Timothy? What's going on? Where are you?"

​Upon hearing his name, Timothy walked over to her, and he was basically the size of a giant. He picked her up, and she could hear wood and strings. "You're finally awake. Good, I was beginning to think I messed up this time around. But I've completed the ritual. Now, you will forever be by my side, my little doll."

​He dangled her over to the living room and she saw something terrifying sitting on the couch. Sitting next to the corpses of his mother and father, was a new edition to his collection. Her body had been turned into a human marionette. A smile was stitched into her face and her eyes were replaced with replica marbles. "No!" She screamed and cried but could do nothing.

​"You're mine now. From now and for forever." He walked over to her to on the couch and sat beside her body, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Using her marionette form he moved her, and thus moved her body as well. Her corpse turned its head and planted a kiss upon his cheek.

​Esther was stuck in hell. A hell where she no longer had her free will. But now, was a toy. A toy for the boy who played with marionettes.

END