-Chapter Six-
Who do you depend on, when there's barely anyone there?
" Oh no! ThisisbadthisbadthisisbadthisisreallyREALLYREALLY-" " Charlie! You got to calm down buddy," Grizz yelled. Charlie quickly stopped in his panic. After telling Charlie both their plan and their story, Charlie began to have a panic attack. He started running around the cave, screaming while jumping up and down on the couch. He finally stopped running around screaming... just to then replace that with repeating the same words over and over again on top of their kitchen table.
Realizing that he was standing on the table, Charlie stepped down and sat in a nearby chair, remaining silent. " I know this is bad, Charlie, but we were hoping that you would know what kind of... thing Theo is," Panda said. Charlie sighed and said," Guys, I know what kind of creature that Theo guy is, but I'm not sure that you'd want to know. Or for that matter, how I'll be able to help."
Charlie got up from his chair and started walking out the door. " Sorry fellas, but this is something that I can't help with. And as your friend, I highly recommend that you don't hunt down this guy either." " Just telling us what Theo is will help us!" Panda exclaimed. Sighing sadly, Panda then said," Charlie, I know that you're scared, we are too, and I know that you probably won't want to help us anymore than this, but as his brothers, we have both the right and the responsibility to know what took him and try to save him." Charlie stopped in his tracks. " Yeah, you can't expect us to just roll over and let our little brother get hurt," Grizz added.
Grizz and Panda understood that Charlie was a soft hearted guy. Besides, the bears couldn't just drag someone else into their problems. Friend or no, they understood that Charlie had a right to be scared and because of that, he didn't need to help. "... No, you guys are right." Charlie turned around and began walking back to the kitchen. "Sunshine is my best friend, same with all of you. What kind of buddy would I be if I didn't help?"
Walking towards the counter table, Charlie took a piece of paper from the drawer and a pencil from one of the cups. He turned around and sat in a chair across from Panda and Grizz. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "The creature that I think Theo is was known in many parts of the world in the early 1800's." Charlie began to draw a figure. "Eventually, their legend died out when more interesting fables began popping up." " What, like you?" Grizz asked.
Charlie paused, thinking a little, but then he shook his head. " Naw, for one thing I'm not that old. Also, I'm not exactly in that category." " What do you mean by category?" Panda asked. " People have had theories about 'Big Foot' being aggressive or dangerous, but there wasn't any proof to, well, prove that theory. I'm more in the elusive, mysterious yet harmless supernatural creature category." " So, do all supernatural creatures put themselves in a category," Grizz asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Bro, we need to focus on the task at hand!" Panda scolded.
" It's alright Pan-Man. I was about to bring that up anyway. And answering your question Grizz, yes, at least every supernatural creature I know has put themselves in a category. Why, I asked the leprechaun a few years ago what category he put himself in and he said that it was the same one I put myself in!" Charlie laughed a little, but that quickly died down. " Heh, that was the longest conversation we had." " What? Don't you supernatural dudes have some sort of connection or something?" Grizz asked.
Charlie shook his head sadly and continued to draw. " No, we try not to keep in touch. I said it once and I'll say it again, you three bears are the only friends I have. B-besides snake of course!" Seeing both of his friends twin looks of pity, Charlie quickly forced a smile on his face. " B-but it's okay though! Who needs those other guys- I mean, you guys are the best buds I ever had!-" " You mean the only friends you ever had," Panda thought sadly.
" That's why we have to find Sunshine! Now as I was saying-" Clearing his throat, Charlie continued. " Your guy, Theo, he's more in the creepy scary dude that kidnaps your children supernatural category."
"... What?" Panda asked, fear creeping into his tone. " You weren't wrong when you said that Sunshine wasn't the only guy who was taken, Grizz. I don't know much about it, but there has been some strange talk going around in the forest. Screams of humans shouting occasionally around them. The stench of blood that would fill the air afterwards. And finally, the deathly silence that would soon follow after." Charlie looked down guiltily.
" I didn't want to scare you guys. I thought that they were just rumors. After all, birds do always seem to chat more than they think. And even if the thing was real, these strange happenings were occurring in the deeper part of the woods, and I know that you guys live a little closer to the city. I also thought that... maybe it was just an aggressive wolf or something like that. I never... I... I'm sorry guys." Charlie placed his head down on the table. His words were a little muffled, but the Bears could still understand pretty well.
" If I just told you guys what was happening-" " We don't blame you, Charlie. You don't have to apologize," Panda said softly as he gently patted Charlie's back. Grizz nodded in agreement. " Yeah, you didn't know what that creature was. It was our fault. We should have been better brothers." Charlie lifted his head up and stared at the two bears, eyes slightly glassy from crying.
Smiling sadly, Charlie said," What I'm I doing, crying like a baby? We've got ourselves an Ice bear to save." He wiped his eyes with his arm and handed them the picture. On the sheet of paper were multiple drawings of a tall, shaded figure. Their face was hidden from view and their body appeared to be sickly thin. " Is this-" " There were many names that the humans gave this creature. They were known all around the world, but their names were first given by the Koreans, Irish, Japanese, and Spanish folk. Though Japanese and Korean cultures have the most stories about this guy," Charlie said.
Panda stared at the creature for a while. Something about it was familiar... Suddenly, Panda remembered something. Quickly getting up, Panda ran to his room, ignoring both Charlie's and grizz's confused stares. He grabbed his laptop and ran back to the kitchen, almost tripping in the process. " Guys! Guys! I've seen this creature before when I was on my phone!" " Really, when did you have time to look up stuff like this?" Grizz asked curiously.
Panda sat in the chair between Grizz and Charlie so that they could all see.
"Grizz, remember when we all thought we had the bear flu?" " Yeah?" " Well, while I was looking up the, um, symptoms, I happened to pass by a few pictures of some weird supernatural creatures. You know, since they're kind of in the same creepy category. There's this one creature that I remembered clearly." " Why, because it creeped you out the most?" Charlie asked. " No, because it reminded me of Slender-man." Low and behold an almost identical looking picture of the creature was sitting right in front of the screen.
" It says here that this creature has many names. All of them are in a different language! What are we gonna do?" Charlie asked. " Wait, Charlie, didn't you say that you traveled the world? Can you at least speak Spanish or something?" " When did I say that? I traveled a lot, I didn't just walk around the world." " Ok, fine! Here's what we're going to do: Does anyone know any local translators around San Francisco?" " Guys, we could just use this wonderful thing called Google," Panda said, already typing the names down. "... That works too."
After a few minutes, Panda finally got all the words translated:
からくり士_Japanese
Puppet master
Titiritero_Spanish
Puppeteer
Puipéad Daonna_Irish
Human puppet
사기꾼_Korean
Trickster
" This is the creature's name?" Grizz asked. " Apparently, yes. Yes it is. It looks like the creature is mostly based off of Korean culture, so we'll call it a Sagikkun*, since that's how you pronounce the name," Panda said. " So Charlie, what's the deal with this creature anyway? Why would he... it kidnap our brother?" " Well, as the name describes, Sagikkuns are tricksters.
They are unpredictable and mysterious. They love to work in the dark and are very lethal." Charlie sat back in his chair and started to scratch his head in confusion. " However, the Sagikkun that kidnapped Sunshine is... different." " What do you mean?" Panda asked. " Well, for starters, I thought that Sagikkuns were extinct. The stories say that they died out over 1000 years ago." " 1000!" Grizz exclaimed. " Give or take. Since these critters are usually close-knit when it comes to family, I take it this guy is the last of its kind. Also, what is it doing all the way here? It just doesn't add up."
While Grizz and Charlie continued to talk, Panda re-read the names again. And again. And again. " Human Puppet... Human Puppet... The Puppeteer... Trickster... Why do I have a feeling that this is all somehow connected. What's a human puppet anyways?" " Uh, Charlie, quick question. Why is the Sagikkuns called the human puppet, but also called the Puppeteer?" " ..." Charlie seemed hesitant to answer. " Charlie, what's up?" Grizz asked in concern. " ... This is where the Sagikkuns get their infamous name. Legend says that the Sagikkun would wear the face of a beloved human, usually ones that have passed or have disappeared. Sagikkuns could shape shift after all. They would trick families into coming with them, deep into the forest, to kill them." " So he could eat them... right?" Panda asked, feeling a growing sense of dread pooling into his stomach.
Charlie shook his head. " I wish that was just the case. The Sagikkuns would indeed eat their prey, but they would also... steal their faces and skin." " WHAT!?" Panda and Grizz screamed. " That's how the Sagikkuns could shape shift, alright! They, they would copy the look of other people, since they didn't like their original forms anyways." "But, why?! Why don't they just stick to their original forms instead of just ripping someone's face off!" "They would do more than that." " What could they possibly do that could be worse than that?" Grizz asked, disgust lacing his tone. " The Sagikkuns were a proud species. They would make trophies of their kill by using the extra skin and meat that they gathered and made them into puppets."... Silence... Complete silence followed after Charlie's statement.
" ... That's why they're called the Puppet Masters. That's why they're called Human Puppet..." "... But... The name is Human Puppet... Not Puppeteer... Maybe... There's a reason why that is?" Grizz weakly argued. Charlie sighed.
" Well, I only know most of the legend, not all of it. If you want more details, you're gonna have to ask an expert on Korean Culture." Scratch what they said about Charlie being a soft hearted guy! Charlie was a smart creature that didn't want to be killed! No wonder he was so determined not to confront Theo... oh... Oh no! " Will our baby brother be turned into a puppet too!" Grizz shouted. " I doubt it. The creature did tell you that he wanted Sunshine alive. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't lie about that. However," Charlie started to look really worried," I know Sunshine is a tough guy and all but... you guys need to find him and get him out of there fast. I'm worried about what kind of... mental strain this'll put on your brother's psychological health."
" What-" " Let's just say... Knowing that creature..."
" Any guy could go crazy when facing the unknown."
" So, what do you think of my collection? Pretty neat, huh?" To Ice bear, pretty neat would not be the correct words. Now, sick, twisted, and cruel... close enough.
Ice bear's stomach dropped at the site of the puppets. They were lined up on the shelves neatly, all wearing ragged, dirty clothes. And there were scores of them. Not 10 or 20, but more like 50, no maybe even 100 of them all crammed into a dark corner in the cave. All were bloody and misshapen, some more than others. The buzzing of flies pounded in Ice bear's ears, making him grit his teeth in desperation.
But the worst thing about all this... was the smell.
The left over flesh that seemed to just hang off of the doll's body was rotting. The odor was so strong that Ice bear truly believed that no matter how much you would clean it, the stench will still stay. It made his eyes water.
Yet, the thing that was strange to Ice bear, was how this all reminded him of some B rated horror movie that you could find anywhere. Heck, if someone recorded all of this and put it on the big screen, people wouldn't know the difference. It's not like a lot of people knew Ice bear personally. The only people that would actually acknowledge him would be his brothers, Chloe, and Charlie. And sometimes, not even they would pay much mind to him.
Normally, Ice bear wouldn't think too much of this. However, something dawned on him that very second. Something that made his heart stop. He could die here. Ice bear almost never thought about how his life would end. When he did, Ice bear was pretty sure this wasn't the first thing that came up.
" Hey, Icy. Are you listening?" Ice bear snapped his attention back to the creature. He looked at the puppets, then back to the creature. It saw this gesture. " Like I said before, you're not going to die here. Trust me, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done it the first day I met you." Ice bear looked up at him questionably. " Oh, Ice, you're smarter than that, take a guess." Ice bear felt confused. What-Then, everything made sense.
The bad dreams, the flashes of blue in the forest every once in a while, the feeling of someone watching him...Oh... oh. "... How long were you spying on us?" Ice bear asked quietly. The creature shrugged nonchalantly. " Few days, maybe a week or two. I lost count after 8 days." The creature kneeled down so he was eye level to Ice bear. " Now you get it, Icy? I know everything about you and your brothers. Granted, it took longer for me to understand you, but I think it was worth it." Never mind, add stalker to the mix and you have yourself a C rated movie. This is just getting better and better.
" What do you want with Ice bear," he croaked out. The creature's smirk grew into a deadly, sharp grin. He pointed a finger towards the puppets. " You see those puppets?" Ice bear nodded his head. " While I was spying on you bears, I realized that you had a certain... gift when it came to engineering." Ice bear nodded his head again, understanding what the creature wanted him to do. "... You want Ice bear to build something that'll help you control all of the dolls." " See, what did I tell you? You're a lot quicker than your brothers!" the creature said in a smug tone. Ice bear growled lowly at the comment.
" Don't worry Icy! It's not like you have to come up with a completely new thing-a-majig. I already have an idea for you. All you have to do is build what I ask for all of my dolls without question, and then I'll let you go," the creature said. " I highly doubt that," Ice bear thought. Vision cleared, Ice bear could finally get a look at his surroundings. Sans the dolls, it was a regular cave. A really huge cave. There seemed to be many rooms and corridors. " This place was made to trap people here. If I ever want to get out, I'll need to gain it's trust first. Then, I'll have to memorize where the exit is. This could work... Hopefully."
Ice bear had a solid plan, but there was something bugging him. He had to ask- " Why kidnap Ice bear?" " What?" " Why not kidnap an actual engineer?" The creature thought about Ice bear's words, but then said," Not a lot of people know you bears. So, not a lot of people will ask where you've disappeared to if you or your brothers ever went missing, compared to the questions that will rise of I kidnap an actual person." The creature shrugged. " Besides, you're more competent then those second-rate engineers. I can depend on you to get the work done."
Ice bear remained silent. The creature had a fair point. Standing straight, the creature brushed his clothes so they would appear less messy. " I'm going out to get you some supplies so you can get started. That being said, don't think that I'm going to let you off the hook the easily." The creature took Ice bear's foot and began to drag him to a nearby wall. Even though Ice bear felt a little better, his limbs still felt like jelly, so all he could do was lay back. Luckily, the wall wasn't far away. Leaning Ice bear against the wall, the creature began walking towards the room with dolls. When the creature came out, it had a pair of shackles and a long chain to compliment them. It walked over to Ice bear. " Okay, we can do this the easy way or the hard way, Icy. I can just shackle your leg to the wall and leave you room to walk around, or I can shackle both your arms and legs, and trust me, I'll be gone for a few hours at least. Now what's it gonna be?"
Ice bear sighed sadly and said," The first choice." As much as Ice bear didn't want to bend to this thing's will, he had no other plan. " Good choice," the creature responded. It quickly shackled Ice bear's leg to the wall. The chain was long enough for Ice bear to walk to the middle of the room, but other than that, he had almost no range of motion.
" See ya later, Icy!" Before the creature left, Ice bear called out," Don't call Ice bear Icy." " What? Would you prefer Snowball?" Ice bear frowned. "What should Ice bear call you? Theo?" The creature stopped in its tracks and said,"... I don't have a name." Then, it left.
Sagikkun: is my own creation.