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The Puppet-Master 
A Short Story
Loma a Puppet-Maker made his own puppets, traveling across the plains of India hetraveled from Village to Village running the Puppet-Show. Sometimes, when Puppetsgrew Old and Worn by Time Loma changed the Puppets and Threw them away one day.In the summer that year, Loma was having as bad a time as sun scorched lands ravagedwith dryness and like the water the money trickled away. Loma , old now, finally decidedto stop for the night, hungry weather-beaten he found money only to buy cloth for new puppets. Stopping beside Chandni Bazar( Moon Market), on that night be brought a pieceof red cloth finally making himself some new puppets.He cut the large red Muslin cloth into four pieces and after working through the night hemade three puppets. Shining, and stuck with pins the Puppets satisfied his trained glitteryeyes and he made clothes for the puppets with the last piece. Then, when the sun wasnearly breaking out with cocks crowing he finally threw his puppets satisfied in the bigBlue Sphere that carried all his puppets.The new puppets were an immediate success and people thronged to watch his showsagain. Goodtime came again and Loma’s Blue sphere filled with up tinkle of coins. Onemorning he had a dream- and waking up he found himself rubbing his eyes. Running hishands through his beard he mused trying to recollect his funny dream. As if all puppetswere alive. Opening the blue-box he found the puppets just like they were, all their owncompartments.Puppets were joyous, some watched the other cry, some danced twirling around. He feltthe puppets had a world of their own. Merry-making, loving each other in their smallworld and above one side he found two puppets together. He felt they were the new puppets, and wondered whether they were indeed alive.Chandni Bazar was soon flooded with rains, filth from the gutters spewed onto the streetssticking on wet roads. It rained and it rained, and All the people stayed indoors. Threelater, he soon found his business dwindling. He looked cursing towards the skies but therain never stopped. Hail, thunder and floods.During that time most of the puppets were kept indoors in their box. Safe from wet rain.Bored, he finally opened to take a look inside the box- the puppets glittered , shining as if they were new, knowing. He removed his favourite puppet- theone he’d named Anita.‘Come and dance little Girl’ he said. His expert fingers danced strings pulling a leg andthen hands until Anita was dancing on the wet-street to the delight of a few surroundingrain-sheltering people. ‘Bravo, Bravo’ the people cried. And a few coins rained into the blue shell. ‘More,’ they cried and he put up a best show. Anita, Radha, Rani , Raja – theelephants, the horses, the prince and princess and courtiers.
 
Rainstopped the play at middle with the puppets returning back to the BlueShell. As if they’d returned back to the Kingdom.As days passed and money dwindled- the puppets , why he wondered that dream. Never later.‘Dance in morning, dance at night, Dance all ye Puppets- ye dance all right’. As if he’dsaid it or wished it but Loma knew not why again the dream came. He saw them fightinginside. Awakening to morning cold, he rubbed his eyes shivering looking around towardsBox quite amazed later though he was finding all the Puppets exactly like he’d set them-only Raja Puppet wandered around seemingly.Meanwhile a Magician made his business on otherside of street dragging all Old Loma’scustomers away. Loma again fell onto bad days, and began drinking spending more andmore time away from the Puppets. Angry at Magician he scorned shouting and screaming but people never listened. Even his faithful crowd disappeared. Old Loma finally decidedto look what Magician was upto-at first he found him enticing, alluring with a smart black moustache. He gave free bananas. Magic tricks- he’d make Pigeons appear, ratsdisappear. Magician used dirty tricks that made the crowd laugh.Loma was angry at Magician. With his last few pennies he bought another Muslin clothsitting down to make puppet’s to lure away the crowd.He worked all through night but Loma was very Old. And sleep overpowered him.Another dream Loma, he felt the Puppets were sad. They too, like people , wanted to bewith the Magician. Loma felt sad for he made his puppets himself- he felt cheated.Through the dream, the Prince and Princess fought with each other. Mourning he movedtowards Magician- he felt Puppets had a life of their own. But what could he do? Healways felt like their father. He had grown old ,Magician had all the tricks luring all ;even his puppets away.‘Ha, ha-Old Man’ Magician laughed. Old Lama felt insulted. ‘They are mine theMagician said; I, the Magician hold all the keys, give me your puppets. They will never miss you. Magic everyday, people will cheer.Have no fear’. Old Lama was very angry, ‘You betray me, these puppets are like mine.Go away or I’ll fight with you’.Again Magician laughed. ‘ They want to come Lama. Your hands are old. Go away. Giveme my puppets’. Lama angrily humped, the Magician hissed, ‘waste not my time theirs’too.’ Before Lama handed the Puppets to Magician he kept The Prince and Donkey puppets that he liked handing but before long Lama, sitting on other side of pavementwatched every-day, day by day as people liked Magician. Watching his puppets withMagician Lamas’ heart broke. Strangely though he felt contented, his puppets felt happy.He never wanted to make anymore puppets watching Magician every day. One nightagain the dream; feeling as if Prince was crying, Lama felt terribly sad. Lovers torn apart.He picked Prince ,a sad face, his eyes gazing towards Magician. “Yes” the cloth lips
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