The Puppet Show

At one side of the town square, a puppet stage has been stood up somewhat haphazardly. A crowd of children has gathered before it, including a couple recognizable as being from the orphanage, as well as a young girl clearly dressed in the clothes of the Vistana. A little further back, Bluto the town drunk watches on.

"Come one, come all to see the Ubiquitous Erasmus!" Comes a familiar, theatrical voice from within the depth of the ramshackle stage.

The puppet show begins and we see three hags, each wearing a black pointy hat, come on stage. The hags are each represented by one finger of Erasmus's hand. His right hand comes out with three little boxes on three fingers, painted with distraught children behind cage bars.

The first hag says, "Oh, which of our little captured children should we eat? The fattest?"

The second hag replies, "Too greasy. Let's eat the BEST BEHAVED child of the bunch!"

The third hag turns to a child, "You look like you're a well-behaved boy!"

Terrified, he say, "No, mam. To be honest, I used to disobey my parents."

"Oh, well how about you?" says the finger hag by jostling up to the box of the next box, a girl in a cage.

"Me?? I used to disobey my parents AND I would constantly fight with brothers."

"Oh dear. Well you must be a good boy?" the hag says to the last of the children.

"Me??? I'd disobey my parents, I'd fight with my brothers, AND I'd steal from Blinsky's toy shop!"

The hags cackle, then move to surround the finger with that box's box. The puppets jostle, and a red handkerchief falls out of the puppet stage onto the damp cobblestones, representing a pool of blood.

"I don't know if he was the naughtiest boy. He wasn't tasty."

"We are self-deceived, sisters! It must be that the good and happy children - those bright souls are the ones that taste best."

There is a loud bang, and a door on the side of the stage opens. Erasmus's hand with the boxed children has vanished. "Oh no…. It's the angel! It's the witch! It's the MONSTER HUNTER!" scream the hags.

His right hand emerges from the door, covered with hastily created puppets clearly representing the party, weapons and implements akimbo.

That hand launches at the three finger hags, and a puppet fight ensues. Soon one of the witch fingers lets out a shriek and curls up, and second one quickly following and shriveling. The last finger hag cowers.

The fist-puppet representing the heroes says, "Quick…the coven is broken. Let us flee!" It hurries out the door, and the curtain drops.

Erasmus comes out to take a grandiose bow. The children in the audience sit in silence.

"Thank you for coming to the show of the Ridiculous Erasmus! Next show is… whenever I feel like it."

He then simply walks off, leaving his puppet theater without a thought behind him.