Andrea returned home that evening and found her door broken open. She ran in frantically to see all of her things either destroyed or turned over. Nothing seemed to be missing…Then it dawned on her.
"Blade," she called. "Jester? Pin Head? Six-Shooter? Where are you!"
She moved throughout the house becoming increasingly dismayed when she couldn't find them. Worried almost to the point of a breakdown, Andrea was about to check the workshop when she heard a clanking sound from their room. Rushing in, a wave of relief washed over her as the puppets appeared out of the closet.
Andrea fell to her knees before them, holding her chest to quiet her wildly beating heart. "You're safe. Oh! I was so worried."
She grabed all four of them up at once, and Blade had to move his arms quickly to keep from cutting her. Her squeazing hug crushed them together uncomfortably. Pin Head grunted, causing Andrea to set them down.
"I'm sorry," she laughed weakly. "I just…I thought I had lost you. You are all my best friends. I couldn't bare not having you with me."
Andrea left the room to call the police. The puppets followed her and listened to the report she gave. Blade did not even try to tell her what he had seen, thoughhe was sure it would happen again. The burglars had been sent to steal the puppets, and ,no doubt to get rid of Andrea. But Blade had a plan.
---
A few weeks after the burglary, Andrea had to attend the wedding. That was when Blade decided to execute his plan. He knew she would be gone from early morning to late afternoon. It was perfect timing.
With a bit of convincing, Blade got the other puppets to help. Pin Head was sent to retrieve the Toulon's magic tome, while the other three got out a pot. At some point, Blade remembered seeing a spell that had sparked his interest. Now, he had a very good use for it. Even if it was partly selfish.
When Pin Head returned, they all gathered the ingredients needed. Everythingwas put in the pot and set atop the electric stove. As the contents boiled, Blade had Pin Head help him change into the carved hands.
Once the concoction had stopped brewing, Blade stood over the pot. After a great deal of concentration and sputtering, he managed to say out loud "Walo mou ximud cavo, jea sud ronakx mocelo."
Then, he declothed himself and jumped into the liquid. He soaked himself for some time, even allowing the stuff to reach his mechanical insides by opening his mouth. Climbing out, Blade waited for something to happen. After a few minutes of nothing, he sullenly began to put his clothes back on.
But he was struck with a pain in his chest, something he'd never felt before. He was rocked again and tipped, falling off the counter and onto the floor.
---
Blade woke up and felt strange. He remembered doing the spell and falling onto the floor after a sharp pain. That pain was gone now, but something wasn't right. Rolling onto his back, he realized everything looked different.
Then, he noticed something cool was entering his mouth and nose, and a split second later, something leaving the same way. He brought his hands up, intending to catch whatever it was, but stopped when he saw them. His hands weren't carved wood with many tiny joints. They were human flesh!