Agepril Day 10: Puppet Show
Alastor had taken Geo to Cannibal Town today. He had some business stuff to discuss with Rosie, and he wasn't comfortable with Geo listening in. Luckily, there was a puppet show in the town square that day, and Geo was more than happy to watch it.
Alastor set Geo down close to the puppet stage, cheerful music playing as cannibal children gathered together to watch the show.
“Stay right here, little one,” Alastor said. “I'll be in the back with Rosie if you need me.”
Geo hummed in delight, sucking on the pacifier in his mouth.
“There's a good boy,” said Alastor softly as he ruffled Geo's hair. He left as the music reached a crescendo, and the curtains flew open.
Geo tapped the ground with his fingers as he watched a monkey and a long necked puppet perform and dance to the music. It wasn't long before the music ended, and the puppeteer spoke from the speaker.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, cannibals of all sizes and gender. Please put your hands together for Mr Punch!”
A hand puppet of a hook nosed hunchback wearing a red jacket and jester hat jumped on stage. The audience clapped and cheered, Geo with them.
“How do you do! How do you do! How do you do!” it said in a squeaky and quick voice while bowing to the audience. It then sat down and started to sing.
Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside.
Oh, I do like to be beside the sea.
Oh, I do like to stroll along the prom, prom, prom.
When the brass band plays, ‘tiddely-om-pom-pom.’
Geo clapped along happily to the song, giggling as the puppet bounced around the stage.
Mr Punch stopped and tapped the front of the stage. “Judy!” he called. “Judy!”
Another puppet came up on stage, one with the same hooked nose but now wore a light blue dress and bonnet.
“What do you want, Mr. Punch? I was feeding the baby.” She turned towards the audience. “Oh hello, everybody, hello,” she greeted.
The children yelled ‘hello’ back. Geo just waved.
Someone in the back of the audience yelled. “When does this show get fuckin’ good?”
The Judy puppet seemed to glare at the rude cannibal. “We're getting to it, mate. Fuck off if you don't have the patience. Anyway–”
The show continued as usual. The puppets kissed, they introduced their baby, and Judy had asked Mr. Punch to take care of it. Mr. Punch laughed and started rocking the baby.
“Go to sleep, my baby,” he sang as he rocked the baby.
“Awah, awah, awah,” cried the baby.
“Be quiet,” Mr. Punch muttered before continuing. “Close your pretty eyes.”
“Oh, you wanna argue!? One! Two! Three!” Mr. Punch suddenly launched the baby backstage. The audience erupted in cheers as Mr. Punch laughed.
Geo wasn't laughing or cheering. He was horrified. If that was how Mr. Punch reacted when his baby cried for two seconds, anyone could've done the same to him at any time while in little space. Even Alastor.
The poor boy was about to stand up. No. He couldn't risk bumping into Alastor’s leg and making him mad like Husk. Geo felt too conflicted, so he had to power through it.
He had disassociated to the point where Judy had gotten a sausage machine out.
“Now, boys and girls. When Mr. Punch comes up looking for his stick, you tell him to look in the sausage machine. What are you gonna shout?”
“Look in the sausage machine, Mr. Punch!” shouted the cannibal children. Geo felt icky in the stomach. He didn't like where this was going.
His fears were proved justified. Mr. Punch came up looking for his slapstick, the children shouted for him to look in the sausage machine, he climbed inside, and Judy turned the handle on the machine. A string of red sausages came out the other end and the audience and children cheered.
Geo on the other hand, immediately sprung up from his seat, rushing through the crowd of loud cheers that overwhelmed his ears. Alastor said he was at the back, but Geo couldn't make anyone out through the tears blurring his eyes and–
A pair of black hands with red claws wrapped around him, lifting him up from his frenzy. Geo curled up into a small ball as the hands kept him secure against Alastor’s chest. The deer finished his conversion with Rosie before starting to walk out of Cannibal Town with his ward.
“Punch and Judy was too much for a little one like you, I take it?” Alastor said as Geo cried, honey leaking from the boy's cracks. “Oh dear, it must've been awful.”
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the boy's face.
Geo whimpered, and one thing was for sure. He was never watching a Punch and Judy show ever again.
Prompt Creator: @mitsukkii
