THE PUPPET MASTER

Maria was seven years old and living in her native country Russia. Rebecca delighted to have Peter’s little niece in the Palace, she loved Maria, looking forward to having her own children. Peter and Rebecca had been married for two years and were just about ready for their own children. The Tsar, of course, gave them permission to stay in the Palace and work started on extending the Palace, with a whole floor just for Peter and Rebecca. The aged Tsar did not feel the fifteen bedrooms, three drawing-rooms, two dining-rooms and music room was big enough to house his family and his new son-in-law’s family. After all, Rebecca’s three brothers still lived at home and they were lively young men. And there was always a head-of-state visiting the Tsar. So Rebecca busied herself in designing her new home. She wanted five bed-rooms, a big nursery, a dining-room and drawing-room, and a spare suit of rooms for guests. How all of this would fit on one floor, Peter had no idea. But his wife was happy and that made him happy.

Maria was very excited, watching the builders and helping Rebecca design the rooms. Rebecca knew just how much she owed little Maria. If Maria had not loved her so much, Rebecca would still be a ten-inch china doll. However, Maria was still totally unaware of this as she still had the replica Peter had had especially made, and she still believed it was the original. Through all of this time, Catherine watched over her granddaughter. She loved Rebecca, always keeping a close eye on every aspect of Rebecca’s life.

The grandmother was, by now, very old. Being ninety-five years old, Catherine was already considered a marvel, outliving many of her friends and family. The Tsar cherished his mother, remembering the past as if it were yesterday. And they were happy times!

Catherine was a pure Russian who was the daughter of the Court Treasurer. Always being within the Royal Circle, she was soon noticed by the heir to the throne, as she was divinely beautiful, very similar to Rebecca, but with straight, raven-black hair and a little darker complexion. The wedding was magnificent, going on for weeks. The ceremony alone took five hours and the celebrations just did not stop until after six months. With fireworks and balls, it was a very colourful and noisy time. Everyone was so happy that the heir to the throne of Russia had made such a good match. It was the start of a very happy and new life for the whole nation.

Within a year, Catherine was expecting their first child. Her husband was soon to be the Tsar as the old Tsar was near death. The Royal Line was now secure. A son was born, Rebecca’s father, and he had three brothers after him.

Bringing his mind back to the present day, Rebecca’s father always took the time to see his mother. Every day, he would sit and talk with her. But as the days moved on, the old Tsarina became very frail, hardly moving out of her rooms. Although she loved her family dearly, Catherine wanted to sleep now, she was very tired.

One warm, summer’s evening, Rebecca sat in with her grandmother. They talked quietly about the past and their hopes and dreams for the future. Then Catherine opened an old chest that was always in the corner of her bedroom, just under the window. It was a red wooden chest with a heavy lid. Opening it carefully, Catherine showed Rebecca what was inside. It seemed to glow. “This I want you to have when I pass on. A real Puppet Theatre the old Tsar was given as a child. It is yours now to pass onto your children,” whispered Catherine. Rebecca was in tears, such a loving way her grandmother had. “I will cherish this,” promised Rebecca, as she cuddled Catherine.

The next week, Catherine died peacefully in her sleep. Surrounded by her family, who loved her so much, the old Tsarina closed her eyes for the last time, her son holding his mother’s hand. Everyone was in tears, even little Maria. Catherine, despite the years she was mad, was a very kind and loving soul.

The funeral was one to befit a real Tsarina. The mourning went on for a month within the nation. But much longer within the Royal Family. Three months later, the Tsar had to try to pull the family out of mourning. Life must go on and Catherine would have wanted to hear laughter. So the whole family made an effort. But it was not easy!

The one piece of news that finally did lift the sadness was the fact that Rebecca was now expecting her first child. It was a surprise, as the couple had been very careful, but it was a pleasant one. Remembering the old chest her grandmother had given her, Rebecca called to Maria and they opened it together. What would they find? What was inside?

THE PUPPETS

The red, wooden chest had been covered inside with purple velvet. The lock on it had never been used and inside was a magical world. Taking out the puppets one by one, Maria and Rebecca’s eyes lit up. Each one was carefully wrapped in red velvet, the heads and hands of each character being china and part of the body leather. They were unique puppets, obviously made for the Tsar’s family as each puppet had the Royal emblem carefully inlaid on the back of the head, the Star of David.

First was the oldest puppet, Wizardknow, an old wizard with a long grey beard dressed in a wizard’s cloak of black with gold stars. Each puppet had its name carefully stitched on their costumes, except Wizardknow, his name was inscribed on the wizard hat which matched his cloak. Next was Man dressed in a very smart black suit and Lady dressed in a beautiful white dress. They could be used as a bride and groom set, except there was no veil. Then, out came Clown, an exquisite puppet crafted in the true form of the original clowns. His clown suit seemed to change colour as if by magic, even the circles never remained the same, it was as if they jumped around on the suit. The clown’s face could be changed to either a smile or a sad face. Last to come out of the box was Lion. He looked frightingly real, with real lion hair and a small box inside the body which, when the button was pushed, would roar like a real lion, and his eyes seemed to move, as if by themselves.

Maria was enchanted by them, it was as if she could hear them speak, what a very vivid imagination this little girl had! Rebecca loved them, a lovely memory from her grandmother. Sensing how much Maria was taken with them, Rebecca could deny her nothing, and just had to give the Puppet Theatre to her little niece. Maria was over-joyed with her new little toys. To Maria, it seemed as if they came alive every time she held them.

Over the next few months, Maria would put on a show with her new Puppet Theatre, loving every minute she played with them. The family found it enchanting. “But it would be better if Maria was taught how to use the Puppet Theatre properly,” thought the Tsar, so he engaged his old tutor to come to the Palace to teach little Maria. Meeting his old school master at the railway station, memories flooded back into the Tsar’s mind’s eye. His old tutor hadn’t changed at all except for his hair, which was now silver-grey and fairly long. Wearing the long black robes of the magicians, Merlin still looked taller than any-one else and wiser.

Back at the Palace, after he had rested and eaten, Merlin was introduced to Maria in the grand drawing-room. Rebecca was there also, and thought it strange that the baby in her womb seemed to be dancing, as if really excited. Rebecca had to sit down. Next to the old tutor, Maria looked like a small china doll. “How strange!” thought Rebecca, thinking back to her own experience.

After a few days, Maria began to learn and understand how to use the puppets properly. “These are magical puppets who can talk and move of their own will,” instructed Merlin. Maria’s little eyes lit up when she saw the puppets move on their own, their tiny little voices sounded so sweet. “Because you are the only child in the Palace, only you can see the puppets come alive, because you believe in them,” said Merlin. However, Merlin could sense another child, somewhere, a very strong child. This was, of course, Rebecca’s unborn child, who was moving about quite considerably. Getting regular checks by the doctor, Rebecca knew everything was alright, but still puzzled at all the activity.

Merlin was asked if he would stay on at the Palace. Not just to instruct Maria but also to be the tutor to the new baby. Naturally Rebecca and Peter wanted the very best and Merlin was. The Tsar was delighted to have his old friend stay and the two spent many nights talking and reliving old times.

THE NIGHT

One night, after a grand dinner, little Maria had to go to bed. She was a mischievous little girl and wanted to stay up for the grand ball. But, of course, the “grown-ups” told her that she had to go to bed. So she went to her room and pretended to settle down for the night. When all was clear, Maria jumped out of bed and started playing with the puppets. They came alive and Maria and the puppets started playing. It was an enchanting sight. Getting totally lost in her play, Maria failed to hear a little knock on her window. But Wizardknow did hear it and pointed to her bedroom window. Looking up, Maria saw a little fairy waving and smiling at her. It was an enchanting little creature, completely white with pink wings and pink eyes. Opening the windows, the little fairy came flying in and landed right on Maria’s china doll’s head. Maria picked up the doll and looked closely at the fairy. It has a tiny white rose in its little hand and offered the rose to Maria.

Sensing danger, Wizardknow shouted out “DO NOT TOUCH THE ROSE!” But it was too late. Maria already had it in her small hand. The rose suddenly grew and filled the little girl’s hand. The thorns on the rose did not prick Maria’s skin though, how strange! Wizardknow was concerned and wanted to help. He suddenly saw Maria’s little piano and started to jump and down on its keys. This made such a noise that it frightened the little fairy, who flew straight out of the window. This startled Maria, who dropped the rose, which floated in the air and followed the fairy out of the window.

“What’s all this noise?” asked Rebecca as she entered the room. Sensing that something had happened, she took little Maria into her arms to comfort the little girl. Looking around the room, Rebecca saw Wizardknow standing next to the china doll, the other puppets were in the wooden chest. But why was the window opened? Rebecca put Maria to bed and did not leave until little Maria was asleep. Picking up both the puppet and the china doll, Rebecca could feel her own baby cuddle up to her. “What on earth is going on?” thought Rebecca.

That night, Rebecca did not sleep at all well. She kept dreaming of the spell but kept seeing Maria instead of herself. Peter was so concerned, that in the morning he called for the doctor to check on Rebecca. She and the baby seemed well enough, but the disturbed sleep did concern the doctor. He ordered complete rest! But there was a strange atmosphere in the Palace and Merlin was quick to pick it up. Going into Maria’s room, when she was at dance class, he could see that the puppet Wizardknow wanted to talk to him. Sitting crossed-legged on the floor, Merlin listened to the little puppet, who began to tell the Puppermaster what had happened. Merlin was concerned! He knew of this spell and how dangerous it was to children. Having lived in the world of magic, it was no surprise to see the spell still moving about even though Racheal was dead. Her spirit was so wicked and jealous, it could not rest. Merlin wanted to protect Maria and Rebecca’s unborn child. But how?

THE RIDE IN THE FOREST

The next month and all of this had been forgotten. The Russian Court was lively with festivities, with Kings and heads of state visiting all of the time. Rebecca was no longer allowed to ride in the processions. Her unborn child must come first! Maria delighted in fussing over her aunt, making sure that Rebecca was always comfortable and always had plenty to eat. Rebecca loved all of the attention she was receiving, even her unborn child seemed to dance about.

However, Merlin was still very concerned. He could never quite forget the spell and tried very hard to keep a close eye on both Rebecca and Maria. He would always eat with them and made sure that Rebecca had her weekly visits from the doctor. Maria seemed a little more difficult to keep an eye on as she was so full of life, it was literally hard to keep up with her. But Merlin did his best and also knew that the puppets, especially Wizardknow, would keep an eye on the little eye. But it was not easy!

Very early one morning, Maria was awoken by the soft tapping on her window. The fairy was back and, this time, wanted Maria to follow it out of the Palace. Maria was curious, as is any seven year old little girl, got dressed and started to follow the fairy. It was light so Maria did not think twice about leaving her room. The soft click of her door closing woke Wizardknow, who immediately realized Maria was not in her room that she was missing! Jumping onto the windowsill, the old puppet saw Maria ride off on a strange pony following the fairy. She was going into the forest. Wizardknow was terrified and ran to the door, but he was far too small and had no way of reaching the handle, let alone opening the door.

Maria went deeper and deeper in to the forest. Being so curious, she was oblivious to the fact that she was alone. Danger seemed very far away in her little mind, when really, it was so near! The strange pony stopped at the old cottage where the fairy was, sitting gently on the door handle. Maria stayed on the pony as fear began to gip her. Now she was frightened!

Meanwhile, back at the Palace, Wizardknow was trying to think of a way of getting Merlin’s attention. But how? He couldn’t even open the door. The wise old puppet woke up the other puppets. Lion was very angry that anyone would try to hurt his little Maria. Lady began to cry while Man comforted her. “Jump up and down on the piano keys, that should bring someone in” advised Clown, with a very serious face. “What a good idea!” said Wizardknow as he climbed up to the small piano. Yet this time, instead of just jumping on any old keys, the clever puppet made a tune. A tune that only the Puppetmaster would know!

Running into Maria’s room, Merlin knew at once that something was wrong. He picked up Wizardknow who told the Puppetmaster everything. Looking at the other puppets, Merlin knew that they all wanted to help.

“Ii know exactly where she’s gone” said Merlin, cradling all of the puppets. Putting each one carefully in his pockets, Merlin ran out of the Palace into the forest. The old tutor was still a very strong runner.

Reaching the old cottage, Merlin and the puppets found the strange pony alone, the front door of the cottage was open and there was a very strong smell of roses coming from somewhere. Running inside, Merlin found the little girl lying on the sofa, a white rose floating just above her head. Holding the white rose was a dark spirit creature, beautiful in appearance but with a very evil soul. Merlin dashed the white rose to pieces with his two hands, the sound of the clap waking the poor Maria. The dark spirit screamed and tried to wrestle with Merlin. All of the puppets fell out of his pockets and landed on Maria, whom they tried to cuddle and comfort. Eventually bringing out his wand, Merlin managed to stop and put an end to Racheal’s wicked soul. Casting magical words over the evil soul, Merlin managed to crush it. At last it was gone!

By this time Maria was crying. The poor little girl didn’t understand and wanted to be back at the Palace, safe in Rebecca’s arms. Merlin cradled her in his arms and quietly carried her home, the puppets jumped back into the Puppermaster’s pockets. Except Wizardknow, who stayed close to Maria.

Arriving back at the Palace, little Maria flew onto Rebecca’s arms. She tried to calm the little girl who just kept going on about a ghost and a white rose. Rebecca went pale. Merlin managed to calm little Maria down and began to explain, from the beginning, what had actually happened. Wizardknow clung to Maria, who cuddled the little puppet. “But there is no danger now, as the evil spirit is no more. Racheal will never do this again” warned Merlin. But all of this was too much for Rebecca. Remembering her past experience, the Princess passed out on the drawing-room sofa. The doctor was immediately called.

Maria calmed down and sat quietly with her puppets in her room, Merlin sat with her. The little girl had been very scared but no harm was done. Merlin thanked Wizardknow for getting his attention. However, Rebecca went into labour. The shock of it all had started everything off a month early and everyone was worried. Naturally, the Tsar got the best help available for his only daughter and Peter held her hand throughout the ordeal.

Three hours later, a baby girl was born. Being put straight into a special incubator, the baby went straight to sleep. All of this was tiring for mother and baby. The Palace went quiet! Even little Maria fell asleep cuddling her puppets. But Merlin kept his eyes open, he was still alert and very concerned!

The next morning was a beautiful one. The sun shone brightly and every bird in the Palace trees seemed to be singing. At last, Merlin felt he could relax, the spell really seemed broken. Putting on her prettiest dress, Maria saw her tiny cousin for the first time. Rebecca noticed how her new daughter and Maria seemed to talk to each other. The new little Princess was named Sarah Elizabeth Catherine after Rebecca’s mother and grandmother. The Tsar was overjoyed with his first grandchild, and Peter and Rebecca wee beside themselves with joy. Little Maria just loved her new cousin.

Now Merlin could relax and spent many hours, this time, reliving old memories with Wizardknow and the other puppets. After all, he was known as the Puppet Master!

THE END