Icy Sedgwick

Folklore & Fantasy Fiction

Friday Flash – The Puppet

by 33 Comments

Marsha sat at the computer, the black type dancing in strange shapes before her tired eyes. She shook her head and forced herself to concentrate.
“Mummy, I don’t like the toy Daddy got me.”
Marsha looked up from her work. A small figure stood in the doorway, a teddy bear dangling at her side.
“Nancy, Mummy’s working.” Marsha pointed to the computer. She glanced at the clock – forty minutes of peace, and she was sure to meet the deadline.
“But Mummy –”
“It was very nice of Daddy to get you that puppet.”
Marsha thought of the puppet her husband brought back from Germany. The black-clad figure looked more like a praying mantis than the jester it was supposed to be, all spindly legs and tiny head. Its black pointed cap was surprisingly sharp. Marsha shivered the first time she saw its painted grin, an expression that brought Jack Nicholson to mind. She’d been unsure about giving it to their five year old, but Hal insisted.
Maybe I’ll speak to him about it when he gets home, she thought.
“I don’t like it. Can I sit in here with you?”
“No, Nancy. I have work to do. Why can’t you play in the sitting room?”
“It’s in there.”
Marsha peered over the top of her spectacles at her daughter. Nancy stared back, her blue eyes wide, her pudgy hand clutching the paw of Mr Patches.
“Nancy –”
“Look what it did to Mr Patches.”
Nancy held up her teddy for inspection. Stuffing poked through the burst seam down his left side, and one of his blue patches flapped free from his belly, held on by just two stitches.
“What happened?” Marsha remembered her niece, Kayla. She’d started destroying her things to get attention. Am I working too much? Am I neglecting my own daughter?
“I was playing with Mr Patches and the bad toy said he’d hurt me if I didn’t play with him instead. I hid behind Mr Patches and the bad toy hurt him.” Tears welled up in Nancy’s eyes. Marsha stared down at the teddy – she’d have to ask her sister to do a repair job.
The phone rang, its electronic chirp breaking the silence. Marsha jumped. She snatched up the receiver.
“Yes?”
“Marsha, it’s Peter. The meeting’s been brought forward by twenty minutes. Can you get me the report in the next ten?” Her boss’ harassed tone mirrored her own frustration.
“I, er, yes, of course I can.”
“Mummy –”
Marsha waved Nancy out of the room before scribbling down Peter’s last minute changes to the report. With one eye on the clock, she fell to her task.
Ten minutes later, she pressed ‘Send’ on the email and sat back in her chair. She let her gaze dance around the room, ignoring the clock now that the deadline was met.
A squeal from the next room disturbed her relaxation. Remembering Nancy’s earlier behaviour, she jumped up from the chair and hurried into the sitting room. Mr Patches lay discarded on his back, more stuffing poking out from the burst seam. A single shoe, spattered with child-friendly paint, lay on the floor beside him.
“Nancy? Are you alright?”
Silence. Marsha picked up the teddy and stroked his threadbare fur. She looked around the room, even pulling out the sofa to check Nancy’s old hiding place. She snatched up a pile of blankets in the corner, but Nancy wasn’t hiding under them. Other than the bear, the room was empty.
Empty, except for a spindly black shadow dancing along the wall.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Allie Slater says

    Gah! – a creepy piece. Dolls and puppets have always made me feel a bit uneasy.

    I wonder if the father knew about the puppet, seeing as he insisted his daughter have it? And if he did know, why would he want to give it to her? Very interesting!

    Reply

  3. Peter Newman says

    Why are some toys so darned creepy? And why do people still buy them for their kids?

    I think they should do some research to test for links between creepy toys and disturbed adults.

    Good story btw.

    Reply

  7. Tony Noland says

    Ooh, scary, creepy & terrifying – everybody’s nightmare. I think the unreasonable boss and the shifting deadline are EVERYONE’S nightmare.

    The puppet was scary, too.

    Reply

  21. Helen says

    Oh that’s so creepy, one puppet you’d want to cut the strings too!

    Nice build up of tension in this Icy. I liked the story line it appealed very much to me. ^__^

    Reply

  24. Katherine Hajer says

    I like how the description of the puppet isn’t overly laboured, and how poor Marsha has it coming at her from all directions when she makes the wrong call. The horror of being rational in the face of the irrational.

    Reply

  25. Liminal Fiction says

    My anxiety grew as the story progressed and I found myself hoping the kid would be ok. The puppet’s sharply pointed hat was particularly scary. This was one of my favorite horror flashes.

    Reply

  26. FARfetched says

    Creepy evil puppet indeed! Loved how the tension built through this.

    Mummy screwed up. I’ve gotten plenty of work done with a child playing quietly in the same room. I’m also wondering was Hal was thinking, insisting on giving this thing to their kid.

    Reply

  32. brainhaze says

    Shivers up my spine – and I know exactly what type of puppet you are refferring to – from countrie afar and handmade but creepy as hell. Nice work Icy – I will make sure I never own one after this

    Reply

  33. Craig Smith says

    Poor Nancy, it can be so hard balancing work and family life. Great story and suitably spooky :).

    And thanks for the comment on mine. All feedback is welcome. Will keep a better eye on my commas.

    Reply

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