Catherine
Dad? Is that you?
The puppet sheds a small tear from his eye.
Any fear that Catherine’s harboring disappears.
Catherine
Dad! It IS you!
Catherine
Oh my god. I can’t believe it.
Catherine
What happened to you?
Catherine
There’s so much I want to ask you.
Catherine
It’s going to take forever for us to talk using this book…
The puppet blinks to dry his tears.
Catherine
I can ask you questions. What if you blink once for “yes” and twice for “no”?
The puppet blinks once in agreement.
Catherine
Okay, um…what do I want to ask you first…
Catherine
How is this possible?
The puppet stares blankly at Catherine.
Catherine
Oh, shoot, sorry. That’s right. I can only ask yes or no questions.
Catherine
Okay, let me think.
Catherine
God, haha, this is so insane.
Catherine
All right…are you okay? Are you in pain?
Catherine
Are you still…alive? I mean, not alive-alive, but still…here…in some weird way?
Catherine feels a rush of relief coupled with confusion.
Catherine
You didn’t die in the accident?
Catherine
But everyone in town saw your car.
Catherine
It was…horrible.
Catherine
And we all went to the funeral.
Catherine begins to feel dizzy as questions keep racing through her head.
She takes a seat on the bed to steady herself.
Catherine
Did you get into a different kind of accident?
Catherine
Did someone…do this to you?
Catherine feels tears well up in her own eyes.
Catherine
I don’t understand.
Catherine
How could someone turn a person into a puppet?
Catherine
And why would they want to?
Catherine
Everyone in our town loved you.
The puppet stares at Catherine blankly.
Catherine
Right…I should probably keep asking questions while we have time. Maybe about what happened?
Catherine
Um…so was it…was it someone from out of town? A stranger?
Catherine
What?! It was someone you knew?
Catherine
Was it someone I know?
The sound of stomping feet echoes through the house.
A moment later, Catherine can hear Aunt Agnes and Catherine’s mother catching their breath outside the door.
In a panic, Catherine whispers to the puppet, knowing her dad is trapped inside it.
Catherine
Mom and Aunt Agnes are here.
Catherine
They think you’re dangerous.
Catherine
But this is great. Now I can stop them from hurting you.
Catherine
Mom is going to be so relieved to know you’re alive!
The puppet blinks frantically.
Catherine
Don’t you want to see them?
Catherine
Are you afraid of Aunt Agnes?
Catherine leaps up from the bed and exclaims…
Catherine
I always said something was off about her!
Catherine
All of those trinkets she wears…
Catherine
And you two never got along.
Catherine
She always used to complain about all the men in this family and I always thought it was because she was bitter…
Catherine
But I never thought she was actually evil.
The puppet blinks frantically again, but Catherine is distracted by a knock on her bedroom door.
Agnes
Catherine, I’m giving you one more chance to open this door before we break it down.
Catherine
I can’t let her hurt you again.
And with that, Catherine grabs the puppet and slithers out of her bedroom window.
As Catherine crouches down in the bushes outside of her bedroom window, she hears a loud crash.
Her mother and Agnes must have broken down the door to her bedroom.
She sits still as stone, listening in on their conversation.
Agnes
She must have snuck out with the puppet.
Agnes
How could you have let this happen, Marie?
Agnes
This puts us at great risk.
Mom
We may still be okay.
Mom
There’s no way she could have recognized that it was her father. He’s been dead for years.
Agnes
Don’t be so naïve. Even if she hasn’t realized yet, she’s alone with the puppet now.
Agnes
They may be able to find a way to communicate, and then she’ll find out for sure.
Agnes
Who knows what kind of lies he’ll tell her?
Mom
Let’s not worry about that yet.
Agnes
Marie, I don’t understand how this happened. You must have made a mistake.
Agnes
He shouldn’t be able to move.
Mom
If I did make a mistake, then it’s your fault too.
Mom
You’re the one who taught me--
Agnes
Ugh, look at us! We’re still fighting about him.
Agnes
You should have never married that horrible man.
Agnes
He was too inquisitive for his own good.
Mom
I can’t disagree with you there.
Mom
I think Catherine has inherited some of that inquisitive nature as well.
Agnes
It seems so. But it’s about time she started to learn. She’s of age now.
Mom
I know. I just want to make sure I teach her correctly.
Mom
She has great potential, you know.
Mom
She’s very smart and her wit is quick.
Mom
She could do great things.
Agnes
Very smart, indeed.
Agnes
So smart that you think she’s started to realize that she’s a witch?
Catherine leans closer to the window, straining to hear more.
The shift in her weight breaks the slim branch below her feet.
Mom
Someone’s outside the window!
Catherine’s mother and aunt rush towards the window, only to see Catherine sprinting towards the woods with the puppet clutched in her hand.
Mom
Thank god I keep one of these in here…
Catherine’s mother scurries to the corner of the bedroom and pries up a loose floorboard.
She pulls out a dusty old tome, peels apart its brittle pages, and drapes the ribbon bookmark across the open page.
Mom
This should do the trick.
Catherine’s mother returns to the window and yells an incantation in Catherine’s direction, which echoes across the yard.
Catherine’s legs immediately stiffen into planks.
But her momentum forces the top half of her body forward, and she lands face-first in the dirt.
