The morning came, and Jasmine went to school watching over her shoulders to see if she was being followed by that puppet. She could not stop thinking about last night. She was scared and sad going to class and that was a living nightmare for Jasmine getting chased by a puppet last night. Today, Mr. Hanks was informing them about another topic about vehicles. That subject did not interest Jasmine at all, She just daydreamed and looked past Mr. Hanks lectures. She thought about that puppet again. A thought just came to her. "I wonder if Mr. Hanks knows anything about puppets. Hmm... It seem like puppets shoulda been mentioned in the history book cause I thought puppets is somewhat like dolls ain't it? Hmm... I'm loosing my fucking mind over this shit. Why this gotta happen to me?" She asked herself in her head.
Class had ended. When everyone left the classroom, Jasmine stayed. Mr. Hanks was cleaning off his desk getting ready to leave the classroom too. Jasmine ambled to his desk.
"Mr. Hanks?" she called out.
Mr. Hanks looked up. "Jasmine, what can I do for you?"
"I need your help with something."
"What is it? Your pop quiz?" He asked.
"No, something else. I really need your help. I...I think..." She said, getting hesitant.
"With what dear?" He asked.
"My... Oh God, I'm scared and nervous to say, I'm going through a lot right now," she said shaking.
Mr. Hanks took both of Jasmine's hands, and sat down in his chair.
"I didn't just become a teacher just for the paycheck or to just lecture students all day. I'm also here to help those who are in need of my help. So Jasmine, I'm here and if there's anything you feel the need to share with me. Here is the time. You came to me for help, now I'm open ears to listen," he said.
"Okay... Well...If I tell you this you won't believe me, no one will. My momma don't even believe a word I say," she said, crossing her arms.
"I'm here to listen, even if I wouldn't believe it, I don't judge," he said.
"Mr. Hanks, you promise you won't judge or laugh at me when I tell you?" She asked.
"Like I said, I don't judge, I listen, even if I don't agree on things, remember. I am a history teacher who teaches ancient and mythical things. People who studies those things are not judgers," he said.
"Okay...Well... I believe my family is in danger," she said seriously.
"Oh God, what kind of danger you think your family is in?" He asked, showing a concern look on his face.
Jasmine informed Mr. Hanks about everything she went through for the past week. She told him about the night when she saw the puppet's face, and how the thing chased her around her house and around the neighborhood. Jasmine was certain that the nightmare she experienced was no dream. That really happened to her. When she told Mr. Hanks, he just stared at her for a minute and said, "A puppet huh?"
"Yeah, and I'm afraid that thing is gonna kill me and my momma. I know this wasn't a nightmare. I saw that thing for real," she said.
"So you say you saw a puppet?" He asked.
"YEAH MR. HANKS, WHAT YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME?" She shouted, getting aggravated by his repetitive questions.
"I didn't say that. Now can you describe this puppet face to me?" He asked.
"It's a short puppet," she said.
"All puppets are small," he explained.
"No, this was a different kind of puppet. It was a walking puppet with two legs. It looked human," she said.
"A human puppet?" He asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"That's a new one," he said.
"What you mean?" She asked.
"What else can you describe to me about this puppet's appearance?" He asked.
"Well, you see this puppet talks, he's black, almost looked like a black midget man attacking me, and it's really loud..." She said, getting interrupted by her description.
"I find it quite peculiar your mother did not hear you scream," he said.
"That's what I've been trying to wrap my head around," she said.
"About it's appearance?" He asked, getting back to his question.
"It looks weird like... hmm... It has a circular head," she said.
"Okay?" He asked, wanting more information.
"He wears a suit, a black suit and a red bow tie," she described.
"Really?" He asked, leaning back in his seat pondering.
"Yeah, and it has big teeth," she said.
"Big teeth?" He asked.
"Yeah, and it laughs alot and that thing's face looks like a clown face, and it has red dimples," she vividly explained.
"Hmmm..." He said, still thinking.
"The size of that puppet is like around the same height as the Chucky doll off the movie Child's Play," she informed.
It got silent for a second.
"That's it? That's all you saw?" He asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"You know that thing you described as a puppet, in my imagination describes a different name and your description sounded awefuly familiar," he said.
"How? You know what I saw?" She asked.
"Can I show you something?" He asked.
"What?" She asked eagerly.
Mr. Hanks turned his chair around towards his computer and started typing something. Jasmine looked confused.
"Is this what you saw?" He asked, turning the computer screen towards her way.
Jasmine leaned over into the computer screen, and her eyes sharpened.
"Is this the puppet that attacked you?" He asked.
Jasmine was still staring deeply into the computer screen, with her eyes widened.
"Yes... That's the exact thing that attacked me... I mean... it looks exactly like the puppet I saw," she said certainly.
Mr. Hanks nodded his head.
"This is not a puppet Jasmine," he said.
"Than what is this fuckin ugly thing?" She asked, frowning.
"It's what you call a ventriloquist dummy," he informed.
"A venntrio.... What?" She asked, trying to pronounce the word.
"A ventriloquist dummy is what they used to call it. Let me inform you the difference between a puppet and a ventriloquist. You might wanna pull a chair up," he advised her.
Jasmine pulled a chair by his desk and seated herself.
"Just to let you know, my momma will expect me to be home by 4:00," she said.
"That's fine, if she calls I will explain to her that I'm helping you with some work," he said.
"Thanks," she said.
"Welcome, now let me tell you the difference. A ventriloquist dummy is old classic dummies used by ventriloquists," he explained.
"What's that?" She asked.
"Ventriloquists are people who creates the illusion that their voice is coming from somewhere else, it is usually used as a puppeteered prop, known as a dummy."
"But I thought you said it's not a puppet," she said, getting confused.
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