Welcome to the second in our on-going series of Check It Out blog posts on OPS student authors. In this post we focus on Kathryn, a sixth grade student here at OPS, who shared her short story, The Little String Puppet, with us. Kathryn entered The Little String Puppet in The Betty Award writing contest this past summer.
We also spoke to Kathryn about her writing process, so click here to read the interview.
The Little String Puppet
There once stood a grand theatre in the city of Indigo. People came from far and wide to see the evening performances that were held in the large city.
The most famous show of them all was the famous puppetry play, starring the well-known puppet, Marionette. It was like any other day. The polite chatter of the audience filled the auditorium, intently waiting for the show to begin. The backstage was busy and full of hurried people. In the midst of the chaos, was a little string puppet who had little wooden arms, and an elegant gown of royal blue. Attached to her beautifully sculpted body and face, was a thin clear string and a wooden rod. Although her face looked quite merry, with thin lips that curved at the ends, she was quite miserable on the inside. I wish something would change, she thought dreadfully. All I do is follow my master everyday and pretend I am the famous maiden, Marionette. I wish I could be free, she mused, thinking of her dull life. However, she knew her thoughts could only stay her wildest dreams. These were little Marionette’s thoughts everyday when she was pulled out of the old trunk to be performed with. Or rather, controlled. She looked around the dressing room as the blur of people passed by her. While she moped, something caught her tiny china eyes. Something sharp. Something shiny. It was a silver mechanism with golden handles. Marionette had seen the tool be used for cutting her fabric clothes. It was a.. what was it called again? A pair of scissors! And that was when a clever, but risky idea, popped into her head. If only I could cut my strings with it. Then I could be free. She reached out her wooden gloved hands for one of the handles. She strained her arm as far as it could go, but it was just way out of her reach for her wooden limb. If only she could walk to it, but alas, there was a gap between her and the scissors. The grey clouds of reality settled upon her. Marionette hated the thought of performing another day at the theater; she had to escape. Then, a new idea flashed through her head. Although her limbs were almost useless, Marionette could grasp things very well if she could get a hold on them. She could use the string that connected her to the rod, and fish the scissors towards her direction. Her fellow puppet, Cowboy, had done this several times on stage with his miniature lasso. If he could do it, she could, too. Marionette grasped her string as tightly as she could before tossing it in the direction of the scissors.. It… missed! “3 minutes! Get ready, people!” the manager shouted over the busy noises from inside the curtains. Marionette pulled back her string quickly before lassoing it back to the object. “Yippee-ki-yay!” she whisper-shouted, (although she would never admit to anyone that she had actually said it.) However, this time, her wooden rod hit the scissors, causing them to fall to the floor. “Nooooo!” she wailed, dropping to the floor of the dressing table. There’s no way I can get down to the floor without jumping to the floor. Another impossible idea. She knew her limbs were too weak to jump. Marionette sighed. “2 minutes!” Marionette sat down hopelessly as her master greeted her. She was taken by her strings and onto the stage. “Bonjour, little marionette,” he said to her in his thick accent before the show started. Then, in an instant, the crowd wildly cheered at Marionette’s appearance. The bright and shining lights twinkled in Marionette’s little face. As the music started, she felt the tingling in her body as the magic of the controlling did it’s work. “It’s going to be a very long show-day,” she whispered to herself. The curtains fell in upon the Marionette and all the other puppets as the show ended. A roar of applause was heard from the crowd. Marionette felt tired and strengthless after her huge performance. “Good-bye!” her master bellowed before leaving her, forgotten on the dressing room table, instead of her usual, comfy trunk. Hmmph, Marionette thought in her rage. He forgot about me again! Leaving me to rot, I suppose. “Coming through!” A voice of a woman exclaimed. “I-” in the same moment, she knocked herself onto the dressing table, creating a wave of motion that made Marionette fall to the floor. If puppets could cry, Marionette would have definitely been doing so. In the act of pitying herself, she had forgotten that the scissors lay right next to her. The scissors! She thought abruptly. How stupid I am to forget! As the idea began to form in her head, it became like sugar; fueling her with energy. She immediately reached out her hands and grabbed the handles. Now came the big question. Would she, or would she not cut the strings to her freedom? With one snip, everything could be changed. I’d miss Cowboy, and all the other puppets. The smell of the theater. The lights, the action. However, then she thought; you’ve always wanted your freedom since you were crafted at the woodshop! Give it up now? She couldn’t give up. And so she made up her mind. She would run off and find a new and better life for herself. Her heart beat faster as she agreed to the thought. Before any other thought could stop her, she snipped off her strings, satisfied with her decision. Snip! She was free at last. Epilogue Marionette swiftly walked through the streets, in a makeshift outfit. She had changed throughout the many years, building toughness for any situation. Even though life was harder, she didn’t regret one single bit of it. Seeing the pale blue sky, the grey birds who fed on crumbs, and the bright and shining sun. And all of Marionette’s wishes came true. ![]() This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Interview With Kathryn:
Your short story, The Little String Puppet, is about a marionette who longs for her freedom. What inspired this short story?
Kathryn: My short story was inspired by a collage of different books, movies, and things I see around me. In front of my old apartment, we used to have a festival where lots of food and unique items were sold in small tents. In one tent, they sold string puppets, or marionette puppets. (This is where Marionette's name comes from.) I saw a puppy puppet and it was love at first sight. That was when I became interested in puppets and where the inspiration started.
Clearly you enjoy creative writing, when and where do you like to work on your stories?
Kathryn: I don't exactly have one consistent place I like to work on my stories. Sometimes I sit on my rock chair, and sometimes I just sit on my desk. For the most part, I like to sit on the living room couch with a cozy blanket and pillow. I like to work on my stories when an exceptionally good idea pops into my head.
How do you come up with ideas for your stories?
Kathryn: I'm inspired by other authors's stories. I like to take small details from books and weave it into my stories. I also find inspiration in things I personally enjoy in stories. For example, I love stories that incorporate mind control and magic. This is why one of the main stories I am currently working on centers on those two.
Any chance you’ll continue the adventures of Marionette, the main character from The Little String Puppet, with more stories about her?
Kathryn: There most likely won't be more stories of Marionette and her adventure. One main reason being that I want the reader to imagine the ending and how Marionette will find her happiness. However, if I did, I would write about her outside of the theater and how her new life begins. It definitely would be a fun story to write.
You entered The Little String Puppet in a writing contest called The Betty Awards. How did you find out about The Betty Awards and what was it like having your short story judged?
Kathryn: I found out about The Betty Award from my younger sister, Lea's 3rd grade teacher, Ms. Pizza. Ms. Pizza recommended a list of many writing competitions to enter, and The Betty Award was one of them. It was both nerve-racking and exciting to have my story judged. However, seeing all the winners' stories gives me more inspiration to write better stories. I highly recommend young writers to give it a try and enter.
What authors do you think inspire your writing?
Chris Colfer, Kate Decamillo, Linda Sue Park, Grace Lin, J.K. Rowling, and R. J. Palacio are only some of the authors that inspire me. These authors didn't necessarily inspire The Little String Puppet, but I tend to look up to these great authors.
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