"Puppet theater? What puppet theater?"
To Roy's surprise, Jamie looked utterly confused by his question.
"You don't know about it?"
Roy frowned at Jamie, who didn't seem to be faking his bewilderment.
Jamie shook his head.
Then it clicked for Roy. According to the movie, Mary Shaw was born in 1869 and died in 1940. Back then, Jamie's dad, Edward, was probably still a kid, if he was even born. After Mary Shaw's death, her theater was abandoned, so it made sense that Jamie wouldn't know about it.
Roy mentally reviewed the movie's plot. There was an old guy at the funeral home who had a decent amount of screen time, giving Jamie key info. Maybe he could point them to the theater. Plus, Mary Shaw's grave was in the town cemetery—might be worth checking if her body was still there.
"Let's head to the funeral home."
"Funeral home? Got it."
Jamie gave directions to Bumblebee, which took off on autopilot.
Ravensfall was a small town, so Roy and Jamie quickly reached the funeral home on the outskirts.
The town was already half-dead, so the funeral home was predictably quiet. When Roy and Jamie walked in, they didn't see a single soul.
Well, okay, seeing something else in a funeral home would probably be creepier. Thankfully, it was broad daylight, so the place was free of anything too spooky.
"Henry, you here?"
Ravensfall was small enough that everyone knew each other, so Jamie was on a first-name basis with the funeral home's owner.
Hearing Jamie's voice, a white-haired old man shuffled in from the back. He had to be in his late seventies, at least.
The old guy's face lit up when he saw Jamie.
"Jamie, you're back!"
He stepped forward and gave Jamie a quick hug.
"Yeah, I'm back!"
"That's great! Jamie, it's been, what, over ten years since you've been home? Edward mentioned you got married—how come you didn't bring your wife to visit?"
Henry, bless his heart, had a knack for bringing up the worst topics. Mentioning Jamie's late wife turned his happy expression dark in an instant.
Seeing Jamie's face, Henry realized he'd messed up, but it's not like he could take the words back.
"Lisa's gone. Her body should be sent back to town in a few days."
Henry patted Jamie's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Jamie. My condolences. Can you tell me how she passed?"
Jamie shook his head.
"That's why I'm back in Ravensfall. I think her death has something to do with this town."
As soon as he said it, a shaky, eerie voice called out from the back room.
"Mary Shaw! It's gotta be Mary Shaw!"
An old woman shuffled out, looking a bit unhinged, like her mind wasn't all there.
Henry gave Jamie an awkward smile.
"Lanny's been dealing with dementia lately. She rambles about all sorts of nonsense. Lanny, get back inside! It's not safe out here!"
"Mary Shaw, Mary Shaw's back!"
When Lanny didn't listen, Henry had to coax and nudge her back to the back room.
When Henry returned, he caught Jamie giving him a strange look.
"What's up, Jamie?"
"Henry, is Mary Shaw real?"
Henry forced a smile.
"Jamie, don't overthink it. She's just a local legend, that's all."
Jamie wasn't buying Henry's obvious dodge and got mad.
"You all keep saying Mary Shaw's just a story, but my wife might've died because of her! Why are you still hiding things?"
Seeing Jamie's anger, Henry sighed.
"Alright, since you already know something, I'll tell you. Mary Shaw was real. In the early 20th century, she was a famous puppeteer and ventriloquist in Washington State. Back then, people flocked to the Ravensfall Theater to see her shows—some even came from out of state."
Henry's gaze grew distant, like he was lost in memories. Roy and Jamie stayed quiet, letting him talk.
Even though Roy had seen the movie, who knew if this world's story matched the film exactly? Mary Shaw had a witch identity here that wasn't in the original, so there could be other differences. That's why Roy was playing it cautious in Ravensfall.
"I was just a funeral home owner's kid. I only got to see the puppet theater once, but that one time? I saw a performance so miraculous, I still remember it vividly."
On the puppet theater's stage, facing a packed audience, Mary Shaw dragged a big box onto the stage. When she opened it, it was empty.
"Oh, my little rascal Billy, where are you?"
Mary Shaw looked out at the audience, like a kind mom searching for her mischievous kid.
"I'm here, Mommy!"
The whole crowd heard a child's voice, but no one in the room had spoken—not even Mary Shaw on stage.
Then, Mary Shaw pointed to a seat—Henry's seat, back when he was a kid.
"Found you, you little rascal!"
Young Henry was clueless about what was happening.
"Check under your seat, kid!"
Henry lifted the curtain under his seat and found a puppet—Billy.
"Good boy, can you bring Billy up to the stage?"
This kind of trick is old hat now, but in 1940? It was groundbreaking.
Henry, totally dazed, carried Puppet Billy to the stage and handed it to Mary Shaw.
Then, Mary Shaw cradled Billy and kicked off the real show.
Her puppet control, ventriloquism, and vocal skills were all top-notch. The lighthearted performance had the whole audience roaring with laughter.
Young Henry genuinely thought the puppet Billy in Mary Shaw's hands was alive.
But, as always, there's gotta be someone who ruins the moment.
A bratty kid suddenly shouted, "I saw her mouth move!"
The whole theater went silent. Every eye locked onto Mary Shaw, waiting to see how she'd handle it.
"Jamie, I later found out that kid was your great-uncle," Henry said, his eyes carrying a strange weight as he looked at Jamie.
Jamie was floored. He didn't even know he had a great-uncle.
"How come I never heard of him?"
"Because he went missing a few days after that show."
Jamie wanted to press further, but Roy put a hand on his shoulder.
"Jamie, hold off. Let Mr. Henry keep going."
Jamie bit back his curiosity and let Henry continue.
"It was a performance like nothing I'd ever seen!"
Henry slipped back into his memories.
"Oh, Mommy! That kid thinks I'm fake! Get him up here—I wanna have a word!"
"No, no, no, kids don't fight! Billy, you gotta get along with others!"
"But he's doubting me! Mommy, am I real or fake?"
"Oh, my little rascal, Billy's as real as any kid!"
"I'm gonna prove it, Mommy!"
The back-and-forth between Mary Shaw and the puppet sped up, their voices sometimes overlapping.
Her jaw-dropping ventriloquism left the audience stunned. Thunderous applause filled the theater, and even the kid who'd called her out was left speechless.
Roy figured this dual-voice trick was probably tied to Mary Shaw's unique witch abilities.
Henry paused there.
"What happened next?" Jamie asked, hooked on the story.
"After that, the boy—your great-uncle—went missing. The townsfolk suspected Mary Shaw had kidnapped him. Under the mayor's lead, they privately judged her. I don't know the details since I was just a kid.
"Anyway, after Mary Shaw died, people in town kept disappearing. Folks thought it was her vengeful spirit, and that's when that poem about her started spreading. The town was terrified, so they brought in a powerful exorcist from the church.
"When the exorcist arrived and learned the full story, he had the townsfolk properly bury Mary Shaw's body, along with the hundred puppets she'd made. He sealed her grave, and that's what gave Ravensfall decades of peace."
Henry let out a heavy sigh. He still had a soft spot for Mary Shaw and didn't believe she'd taken Jamie's great-uncle.
But later events proved Mary Shaw did take him—and he became her first human puppet experiment.
Roy finally spoke up. He'd heard enough of the story; time to get to the point.
"Mr. Henry, we need to know where Mary Shaw's theater is."
Henry seemed to notice Roy for the first time, looking at Jamie with surprise.
"Who's this?"
"Oh, he's my friend, Roy Black. He's here with me to check out the hometown."
Henry nodded, not thinking much of it.
"The puppet theater's east of Ravensfall, near the base of the Rockies by a small lake. The theater's on the lake."
"Thanks, Mr. Henry. Jamie, let's go."
Jamie still had a ton of questions, but Roy was already pulling him away.
"Mr. Black, shouldn't we check Mary Shaw's grave?"
"No need. If Mary Shaw's out and about, her body's already been dug up."
Probably by Hookman, Roy figured.
Henry hadn't mentioned everything. His dad was the one who handled Mary Shaw's body, and since he was close to her, he followed her wishes and turned her into a puppet. Young Henry saw Puppet Mary Shaw, and it scarred him for life, so he avoided bringing it up.
That trauma was why Henry's family stayed safe in Ravensfall all these years.
Roy, having seen the movie, knew this. In the film, Henry spilled this story to Jamie, which got him killed by Mary Shaw. Keeping Henry quiet might just save him.
Roy and Jamie hopped into Bumblebee and drove east for about half an hour. They spotted the Rockies, then the small lake.
In the lake's center stood a massive theater, connected by a wooden bridge—except the bridge was long broken, leaving only a small boat as access.
"Mr. Black, the bridge is out."
"No big deal. We'll row over."
Roy's expert water sports skills included rowing, so he got them to the lake's center in minutes.
Glancing at the sky, it was noon, the sun blazing bright. Perfect time to hit the theater.
"Let's go in."
Inside, they first hit the ticket lobby. Roy and Jamie didn't linger, heading straight for the main hall.
The theater was coated in dust, but you could still make out its former glory through the decay.
As they moved toward the backstage, a loud click echoed, and the theater's lights snapped on.
Jamie jumped, nearly yelping, but he remembered the poem and clamped his mouth shut just in time.
"Let's give a warm welcome to our honored guests, Mr. Roy Black and Mr. Jamie Ashen!"
A spotlight hit the stage, and an old woman's voice rang out.
The audience seats erupted in applause—except it sounded off, not like hands clapping but more like wood clacking together.
That's when Roy noticed the front rows were filled with puppets, each about half human size, easy to miss from the back.
The puppets stood in unison, turning their heads to stare at Roy and Jamie. The creepy scene was straight out of the movie's iconic moments.
(Iconic scene)
Being stared at by all those eyes, even Jamie, who was pretty gutsy, started to panic.
"M-M-Mr. Black, what do we do now?"
"What else? Let's see what kind of show Mary Shaw's got for us!"
Nothing going on today, just watching a show at the theater.