as though the puppet has been waiting for years for someone--or something--to make it move again prompts

7 months ago

A tall, gaunt marionette puppet hangs from a frayed, dusty string in an abandoned theater. Its wooden limbs are stained with age, cracked, and twisted, as if they’ve been manipulated far too many times. The puppet’s face is painted in unsettlingly bright colors--pale white skin, exaggerated red lips, and black, hollow eyes that give the impression of never blinking. Its clothes are tattered remnants of a once-glamorous circus performer’s outfit, covered in dirt and grime. The surrounding theater is empty, with torn velvet seats and broken spotlights casting eerie glows on the stage. A heavy silence lingers in the air, broken only by the occasional sound of wood creaking as the puppet slowly sways back and forth. Shadows stretch and twist unnaturally around it, as though the puppet has been waiting for years for someone--or something--to make it move again.