The Puppeteer - Chapter 2 (Part 1/5)

The old man shuffles to the front door, and turns the yellowing sign from OPEN to CLOSED. He throws the dead bolt, and with the slow care of the arthritic, he pulls the iron gate across the window. Turning, he flips the light switch down, and the interior of the small clock shop becomes shadows. As he walks back past the sales counter his steps are precise and his right foot scuffs a bit with each small forward motion.

He presses the NO SALE key on the antique cash register, and when the drawer pops open, he gently lifts the tray and places the few twenties that have been stored under it into the divider on the left. He leaves the drawer open slightly.

Making his methodical way to a small curtained alcove in the rear, he opens a door leading downward, toward a brightly lit basement.

The clocks begin their hourly progression of chimes and more than a few cuckoos. Along the walls and display shelves, numerous small hand-carved birds spring forward from their homes above clock faces, and then retreat safely back into the dark. Six times their small feat is repeated, and then the last of the chiming fades, casting the shop into a quiet that is matched by darkness, as the old man closes the alcove curtain. The distinctive sound of a deadbolt being thrown echoes through the deserted storefront.

In the stairwell beyond the locked door, the shadow cast by the man on the stairs stretches, changing shape. It’s outline becomes taller, and more well defined. As it progresses down the stairs, it transforms from the shadow of an old man to one of a strong, and very crafty, young man.

It is time for the Clock-Maker to sleep... the Puppeteer has awakened.

<end Chapter 2 (Part 1/5) >

#thepuppeteerbydustygrein