text: Now listen closely for I can only tell you this story once. The story of The Marionette. As you stroll through the streets at night, it would be best to remember this story. This story starts in a home with a child and her caretaker, a marionette nanny droid. The droid took great care for the child and the child loved the droid. The child and the droid would play together, work together and sleep together. The droid started to love this child as a mother would their baby. The droid would do anything in its power to keep the child happy. One day the child entered its room crying. Nothing the droid could do would put a smile on the child’s face. Why was the child crying? If the droid knew it could make the child happy again. This continued for months and months and the droid was powerless to stop it. One day the child never returned. The droid waited yet the child never came. “That foolish daughter of mine. I thought I taught her better than to run from her problems.” The voice was identified to be that of the droid’s owner, the father of the child. “I thought that girl was my daughter yet she’s no better than the vermin that live on the streets begging for food.” As the father entered the child’s room the droid could see his cold stare befall him. “That child would never do what I wanted her to do. She would never do her studies; she would just come crying to you droid. She ran away because you made her soft. She wanted to ‘chase her own dream’. It was a mistake to allow you to care for her.” And with that the droid was shut off and cast aside. \ Yet there was still something. A will still present. A desire within the droid. A spark of life appeared. The droid awoke from its slumber. It was dark, a darkness that would crush the soul yet the droid prevailed as its will was strong. In the midst of the darkness was a figure. The figure stood tall dressed in a 5-piece suit and had long navy hair and red glowing eyes. In a calm charismatic voice, the demon asked “I can cut you of your strings if you so desire and all I ask in return is that we become friends. Do we have a deal?” The puppet responded “Can I do as I wish after I am free.” “Anything your heart desires.” The demon stretched out his hand to shake that of the marionette. The droid took it and the deal was sealed and when the puppet was free from its string it returned home. \ As the marionette opened the door to the house the father came into the entryway “what do you think you’re doing? Do you think you have the right to burst in un” And at the sight of the puppet the father’s eyes filled with terror. The creature that stood before him had murder in its eyes and a large crack in its mask revealing a row of sharp jagged teeth. It spoke “I’m home master. Did you miss me?” “How?” That was all the father could mutter before his head flew off his body and onto the floor “My gods have abandoned me and now so will yours.” All in the house were killed in brutal ways. The mother was strung up by threads. The maid was stabbed and had a smile gouged into her face and the teacher had her skull bashed in by a book. To this day The Marionette lives in that house waiting for the child to come home. If you ever pass that house never go in, for if you do, you’ll never come out. &#x200B; &#x200B; &#x200B; This is my first of many short stories set in a universe that I have created set in an alternate future. Please don't mind any grammatical errors that might be present as I am not a writer. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoy sharing these stories. &#x200B; Edit: Thank you all. I have read all of your comments and it has given me the courage to wright more short stories on this subreddit.