Court Rehearsal

A miniature wooden puppet theater sat perched upon an artisan's cart, its crimson velvet proscenium curtain parted to reveal an utter farce. A carved wooden monarch hung slumped against the backdrop, strings tangled hopelessly around its gilded crown. Such undignified slouching was an affront to stagecraft. Hooking the curved horn of my staff through the central suspension ring, I levered the tangled crossbar upward. With a measured twist, the snarled twine surrendered, lowering the wooden sovereign until his joints locked into a deep, disciplined bow before me. A theater, no matter how small, requires actors who understand proper deference.