The Puppet Girl

The Legend

"I'll pretend I'm unwell, yes that should work," she thought and jumped on the bed. Pulling the sheets over her head, she curled and peeped out before Mrs Guerrero walked in.

"Are you ready,  Summer?" 

She looked around the room only to find Summer lying under the sheets and sulking.

"Summer what's wrong?" 

"Uhmm...I'm not feeling that good, Mrs Guerrero," She moaned while Rain made his way to the room.

 Standing at the doorway, he wondered what was happening inside and craned his neck to get a better view. Mrs. Guerrero was having second thoughts about sending her out until her gaze fell on one of Summer's puppets. Recalling the promise she made to Summer's mother, she guessed it was just an excuse to stay home. After all, she was well informed about Summer's nature.

"You're a bit warm, but some fresh air will do you good. Staying inside the villa will just make you sicker," She puckered her nose and picked up the puppet before flinging it over the bed.

"Rainerio is already outside, don't keep him waiting," she reminded and turned around. "Oh, here he is, now hurry up,"  she gave him a good look and walked past him. "Be nice to her...," she warned him.

Rain grinded his teeth and noticed Summer's puppets strewn across the bed. "You still play with dolls?" he found it weird and scratched his head. 

"Those are string puppets, not dolls," Summer corrected him and put on her cardigan.

"Thanks for enlightening me, but I'm not impressed,"  he rolled his eyes and leaned against the door.

"Who wants to impress you anyway? I have better things to do,"  She remarked under her hoodie and surprised him

"Whoa? Better things like what...playing with your puppets," he mocked her and brushed his fingers through his hair. "You could have pretended better if you really didn't want to come, you're the worst actress I've seen, Miss Puppet," he complained and tried catching a glimpse of her face.

"It's Summer," she snapped and pulled her hoodie further down her forehead before the attendant came over. He was sent by Mrs. Guerrero to see if Rainerio and Summer had left. "Yes, we are leaving, tell her to stop being so pushy" Rain begged him and wondered when his aunt would stop controlling his life.

They left in his car and headed for the main city. Both remained quiet and continued to steal glances at each other. Tapping the steering wheel, he glanced at her again and felt curious as to why his aunt had chosen him to show her around. He noticed how she kept flexing her fingers at intervals for she felt uncomfortable without her puppets. 

"So Miss. Puppet, exactly which place in Ireland are you from?"  he broke the silence between them and caught her off guard. 

"Lawrence town  and my name is Summer?" She sighed and crossed her arms.

"Hmm...I thought you're from Sesame street," Rain laughed and winked at her, while she cringed in her seat.

"So what brings you here?" he dug further while she felt uncomfortable. Carrying on a conversation was something she was never good at. Hoping he would stop, she reluctantly answered. "Had it not been for my mother, i would never have stepped into this concrete jungle." 

"Wow! You've really got some nerve to compare a tiny village in Ireland with Madrid city?" Rain glared at her in bewilderment. "It's my opinion," She turned defensive.

"Well, then I must say your opinion sucks! I wonder how your friends tolerate you or maybe you don't have any," 

The comment touched a sore cord in her heart. Summer never had friends. She shifted in her seat and bent her toes in pain, "He's right, I never had friends and never will. I'm a loser," she felt cold and pulled her hoodie further down her face.

Anticipating a nasty comeback from her, Rain realized that he was being too harsh when she preferred to stay quiet. 

"See that to your left, that's the Royal palace," He rolled down the window and pointed at the beautiful Royal palace to his right. Summer ignored him but saw it from the corner of her eyes.

"Do you believe in legends?" he enquired as they drove around the facade of the palace. Summer maintained her silence, but Rain continued anyway. "They say that every night when the full moon rises, a young lady appears out of nowhere and walks in the empty hallways of the palace, searching her love."

Intrigued by the legend, Summer forgot everything and fixed her gaze on the Gothic statues that ran throughout the facade. "Have you seen here?" she asked inquisitively and broke her silence. Rain was relieved to hear her voice again. He got back to his mischievous self and replied, "No I haven't, but trust me I would never want to encounter her...I might just break her heart if you know what I mean," he smirked and admired himself in the rear view mirror while she rolled her eyes in irritation.

Their first stop was the city museum. Rain guided her in and showed her around.  Much to her surprise,  Rain equally showed an interest in all the rare artefacts on display. She guessed it was his first trip to the museum in all these years. 

"This they say is the last..."

"I can read it...you don't need to translate everything," she smiled at him for the first time since they had met.

Rain laughed awkwardly and looked away, that's when Summer realized that he wasn't all that bad.  As they continued exploring, his phone buzzed and echoed across the hallway. Excusing himself, he walked to a corner and answered it.

"Hola! What's up?" 

" You were supposed to meet us at the Plaza Mayor, have you forgotten?" Max fumed from the other end.

"Oh, Merida! Have you guys reached already?," he sighed and fixed his eyes on Summer as she glared at the huge mirrors that were lined on the walls.

"Not as yet, we are just passing the palace," Max replied in a much sombre tone.

"Estupendo! I'm nearby as well. You will see my car to the right. Wait for me, I will be there in a second," he exclaimed in excitement and hung up.  Seeing how engrossed Summer was, he thought it okay to have some quick rendezvous with his friends.

It wasn't long before summer got exhausted and turned round to talk to Rain, her body went numb on noticing his absence. 

"Rainerio!" her voice echoed in the empty gallery. 

"R-Rainerio, where are you?" she called out to him in desperation and soon ran around in search of him.  "Rainerio..." her voice wavered when she realized he had left without her.

"Visiting hours are over, the museum will close in five minutes," a man in uniform rung the bell and announced as he walked past her alerting the other visitors. Aware it wasn't going to be easy, she made her way to the exit and nervously darted out the museum.

"I should have known why he brought me here in the first place. He just wanted to dump me here." she shoved her hands in the pocket and shivered as the cool wind brushed her body. The nights in Madrid were cold even during the summer season.  Darting her eyes from left to right she searched for his red car but to her dismay, it wasn't where she had seen it before.

She saw the cabs passing by but alas she had no idea about the address nor did she have any money, what would she do hiring a cab without having a clue about the address. Having no other option, she went on the street, walking aimlessly. Hoping against hope, that he would come, take her back home. The street was buzzing with tourists and locals, which made Summer feel all the more uncomfortable. Feeling totally lost in the new city, her heart thumped every time she met eyes with a stranger who appeared suspicious to her. She viewed everybody as a threat and tried to run away from their unfriendly gazes.  

Soon enough, she found herself in a secluded street and felt a bit better. Seeing all that crowd had made her nervous and uneasy, being alone was what she preferred at the moment.  Walking on the sidewalk, she counted all the cars passing by and was reminded about Rain.

"Why did he play such a dirty prank on me?" she frowned and vowed never to trust him again.

"Rainero, have you seen what time is it?" Mrs. Guerrero complained rested her hands on her hips when he walked in.

"Uh...Sorry, I was stuck in traffic," he made a face and shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine, and where is Summer? Why is she taking so long to come in?" She craned her neck and adjusted her glasses. 

No sooner did he hear her name, he froze and realized his blunder. "S-Summer isn't home?" he asked hesitantly and stared at the floor.

"Don't be ridiculous, how can she come home before you? The two of you left together, right?" she raised an eyebrow and looked suspiciously at him.

"Rainerio, answer me! Was she with you...," She panicked as her blood pressure rose.  "I told you to bring her back safely, what am I supposed to tell her parents if anything goes wrong?" she shrieked and startled everyone in the house.  Rain who was too shocked to respond came back to his senses and rushed out in search of her.

Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he hoped she was okay where ever she was. He remembered leaving her at the museum and drove straight down there only to find it closed for the night. 

"You i***t, how could you forget all about her?" he felt stupid and hit his fist against the bonnet of his car. Determined to find her, he drove across the streets and kept looking at every girl, hoping it was she but in vain.

Far away, Summer felt helpless and lonely as she sat all alone at the bus stop. The stillness and loneliness of her surrounding made her feel all the colder. Rubbing her hands for warmth, she sat with her head hung down and prayed for a miracle. "I should have stayed at home Eva, why didn't you stop me?" she cried and held back her tears when three young men walked on the other side of the road

They were passing by until one paused abruptly and set eyes on her.  Judging by her looks and body language, they realized she was lost and all alone.  Delighted at the opportunity, they casually crossed the road and walked up to her.  Aware of the consequences, Summer deliberated whether to leave or stay pretending she wasn't scared. 

The one who had seen her first took a seat to her left. Summer looked at him from the corner of her eyes and noticed his unpleasant stares. Annoyed,  she shifted towards her right when another one of his allies came and sat to her right. He smirked and stared at her figure while the third one in the front,  stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

"When was the last time a bus stopped here?" the guy standing before her asked his friends.

"Let me guess eleven months ago!" the one to her left sniggered. 

"Nah! I don't believe you, I'm sure the bus still stops here," the man to her right interrupted and deliberately dropped his hand on her lap. Summer shrugged off his hand and rose to leave when the one in front pushed her back to the seat.

"Relax sugar, nobody's going to hurt you," he said sarcastically while the other two laughed menacingly.