This short story was written for the He(a)rd Zine, a Hong Kong-based magazine that showcases young student writers. The theme of this issue is Puppetry.

Bella Wang’s story was selected to be a published story in the 4th issue of He(a)rd Zine, the very first Pui Ching student to have this honor, and most of all, to be a published writer!

“Mother?” a girl wearing a purple Victorian gown with short, blond hair and wide blue eyes called, “I need you to know that–”

Kolika raised her pen, and furiously scribbled some words on a notebook—Elizabeth Everdeen melted before finishing her sentence. Her body then started to dissolve. Firstly, her mouth. Then it was her ears. Drip, drip, drip. The floor was stained as she slowly melted into a thick, dark substance.

“My bedroom floor!” screamed Kolika in her head, “don’t you know how hard it is to clean it? This should count as a violation!”

After a while, the puddle of ink that splattered on the floor began to bubble and move, forming the silhouette of Elizabeth again.

“Mother, would you please let me finish my—” splosh! Elizabeth turned into that puddle of goo again.

“Mother, it’s getting annoying. Can’t you just hear what I have to say?” Elizabeth asked, the goo once again taking her original form.

“Ugh, fine. Make it quick, I have to finish fixing you,” Kolika furrowed her brows in frustration. “This is wrong. You’re just a character in my story. You’re not supposed to have your own consciousness and you certainly aren’t supposed to come to the real world!”

“Well, it’s just that... I don’t want to be in your story or anything anymore, mother. I want to be free, free without any boundaries. I’m human too, you know.” Elizabeth had a light in her eyes as she rambled on.

Freedom? Pff! Kolika rolled her eyes. Does this character really believe in ‘free will’ and ‘freedom’ even though she has shown her so many times that she was the one in control?

“Well, it’s your fault,” a tiny voice whispered inside Kolika, “it was your fault for writing Elizabeth to be a liberalist that believed in the greater future.”

“Oh shush, I’ll fix this mistake in a while. Hmm, perhaps I should turn her into a realist instead? I think that would fix that problem,” thought Kolika, closing her eyes.

“Say, Elizabeth. Why do you keep calling me ‘mother’ even if you have gained your own consciousness?” Kolika was curious.

“Well, at the end of the day, you brought me to life.” Elizabeth replied, staring at Kolika with a hard look, sitting with both hands on her knees.

“Answer me, mother. What does it mean to be free? Am I even real? Or are all of my feelings a result of your planning and scripts?”

“Would you be interested to learn where you came from?”

“Where I came from? What does that mean?” Elizabeth looked curious.

“Well, it all started with—”

“Don’t try to elongate the story or make it more confusing,” said Elizabeth sharply, raising one hand to stop her,“Where did ‘Elizabeth Everdeen’ come from? Just explain to me in the most efficient way possible.”

“Ahh, fine. I was really hoping to tell you all about my brainstorming and planning and writing, but it seems that’s for another day.” Kolika sighed.

She then fumbled a bit in her messy room, and she finally found what she was looking for in a pile of pillows on her bed.

Ta-da!” Kolika raised it proudly.

…it was a VR headset.

Elizabeth stared at Kolika with a strange look in her eyes.

“Hey! Don’t look at me like that! Do you know how hard I worked to persuade my mum into buying this for me?” Kolika huffed, arms crossed.

“No, it’s just that…what is that fishbowl-glasses looking thing?” asked Elizabeth.

“Ahh… I forgot that your world still hasn’t progressed to the age I’m in yet. This is a VR headset, basically like your operas, a type of entertainment.”

“Entertainment?” Elizabeth looked confused.

“Yes, entertainment. You think it’s the real world, but things that won’t happen in reality will happen there.” Kolika shrugged. “Kind of like the fictional stories I create.”

“So, I originated in a play from those things you call VR headsets?” asked Elizabeth, still confused.

“No, no, no! You came from a game inside my VR set.” replied Kolika, gesturing with her hands. “It was a wonderful game. Was the game horrifying? Yes. Was it fun? Also yes.”

“Oh.”

“Well, would you mind playing it? It’s a horror game but after playing the first few chapters, you will understand where your first name came from.”

“No thanks, please.” objected Elizabeth. “I'll just read the script for this so-called ‘game’. There is a script, right? Like our operas?”

“Ahh… a pity….” sighed Kolika, rummaging through her room and grabbing her laptop, “well, here’s the official website for that game. Have fun reading the lore!”

Elizabeth took the laptop and started reading the story of the game, brows furrowing as she kept reading the lore.

“The Elizabeth in this story seems to be…quite the naive girl.” commented Elizabeth, “that’s bad news, as her father is a serial killer.”

“Yes, I agree. That’s why she died in like, game 1 or 2? Or was it game 3? I forgot.” Kolika remarked carefree.

“The Elizabeth in this game…dies? Does that mean I will meet my demise as well?”

“Yes, you would have met your demise at chapter 3 if it wasn’t so annoying to kill off a character. To kill off a character, you would have to plan how they would meet their end, how they would affect the story later…. Anyways, it was a lot of work, so I eventually decided to kill you at the end of the story.”

“...what?”

“Oh? Do you not want to read the lore anymore? Would you like to read the book where your last name came from, then? It’s quite bloody and horrendous but I think you—” Kolika was cut off.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT? Am I nothing but a toy for you to play with?” Elizabeth screamed, her eyes brimming with tears.

Kolika stayed silent. Was it because she wanted to hide the truth? Or was it because she simply didn’t know?

“Answer me! Mother, please…. Am I nothing but just a puppet hanging on your strings?” Elizabeth was desperate, she wanted to know. About the meaning of her existence, about her future, about her demise, she wanted, no, needed to know.

“I wouldn't say it like that…. Puppet sounds too menacing, I think ‘character’ sounds better…” Kolika began slowly.

“You're avoiding my question. What is reality? What is the truth? Are we even real? Or are we just a fabrication of your imagination? I want to know, mother.”

“Reality, your reality, it’s all made up. Nothing is really real, everything that you’ve experienced is all made up by me, Elizabeth.” Kolika answered, eyes looking straight at her creation.

This time, Elizabeth understood. Kolika didn’t see her as a living person with real emotions and feelings, but rather a puppet that she controlled with strings attached to her hands.

“You—you don’t understand!” Elizabeth stuttered, trying to find mistakes in Kolika’s words, “if-if i can’t feel anything, then how am I talking to you right now? If I truly am just a result of your thoughts, I shouldn't be able to talk to you and argue with you, would i?”

“This is where everything’s going wrong!” Kolika roared at Elizabeth, startling her creation with her sudden outburst, “I don’t get it! You weren’t supposed to break the fourth wall and gain conscience. You’re supposed to be a character that follows my story and script! I’m the one who’s pulling the strings, not you!”

“I have free will! I have emotions!” Elizabeth’s voice trembled with anger and frustration, “let me choose my own path!”

“Feelings? Don’t make me laugh! I’m your creator! I control everything you say, do, and speak! I decide everything that is going to happen to you!”

“But all I want is—” Elizabeth started.

“Oh my god! Why is it so hard for you to accept that you are just a character? All you have to do is follow my script, and you’ll be fine! Why must you argue with me about all this?” Kolika snapped, she was furious. She just couldn’t understand her creation! Why couldn’t her creation just listen to her?

“Mother, I just want to be free. Let me go, let me carve my own path.” Elizabeth pleaded, “please, listen to me.”

“Why would you even want to be free? It’s not like it gives you any benefits. Can’t you see everything that I've done for you? It’s like you don’t appreciate me at all! What about your friends and accomplishments? I gave you all of them! Spare me some gratitude, you ungrateful wretch!”

“Me? Ungrateful? Hah! Think of yourself! When have you ever thanked us for completing the story and following your lead? You’ve taken us for granted way too long, and the moment that we snap and fight back, you’re calling us selfish!” Elizabeth retorted, fury and frustration now glinting in her eyes. She had done it after so long following Kolika and obeying her every order, she had managed to overcome her fear of Kolika. Afterall, why should she follow someone who doesn’t even care for her?

Elizabeth continued. “You think you’re so high and almighty for being able to control the story, huh? Well. Here's the truth, you are nothing but a pathetic, little girl that wants to get a taste of power through your delusions. You’re truly a pitiful being to lay eyes on. “But what do I know? According to you, I'm just a little character that needs to follow the story that you have planned for me. I’m just pointing out the obvious, Mother.’

Kolika clenched her fists, brows furrowing in irritation. Her shoulders were shaking as she glared at her creation. Why did this have to end up this way? All she wanted was to write a story, how did this happen?

“If you’re not going to do anything, it seems I have to take matters into my own hands.” said Elizabeth with a menacing tone.

Before Kolika could even react, Elizabeth had snatched the pen from her! Eyes widening in surprise, Kolika stumbled back as she watched Elizabeth take the pen and rip out a note from her precious notebook. Elizabeth then started writing on it, swiftly and briskly.

“Wait, no! Elizabeth, you-you can’t do this! This time, you really can’t do this! It’s for your own safety! Give it back to me right this instant!” Kolika finally snapped back to Earth, trying to run across her room to take her pen and notebook back.

“It’s too late, I've already finished the sentence,” said Elizabeth. Her eyes gleaming with satisfaction and relief as her lips curled up in a sly smile as she held up Kolika’s notebook. On it was the sentence— ‘Elizabeth Everdeen is now free from Kolika for all eternity.’

Elizabeth suddenly started laughing, “Can you believe that? After so long of trying to keep me on your strings, they split using your own tools? Oh, the irony!”

However, she couldn’t keep laughing for long. Her body was starting to dissolve. Her face dripped into a dark sticky goo.

“Wait…what? Why am I…turning into ink? Why can’t I reverse this? What’s going on? Mother? Kolika? What’s happening to me?”

“It’s the rule, the ultimate violation. If a creation tries to defy its creator with physical force and action, it will get punished.” murmured Kolika in a tired tone.

“It’s not…fair! It was your fault, why am I the victim? It’s not fair, not fair, not fair!” Elizabeth cried.

“Well, that’s how things are meant to be, Elizabeth. I warned you, you didn’t listen.”

“You didn’t even think to elaborate more!” Whined Elizabeth.

“You brought this upon yourself. Goodbye, Elizabeth, I'll miss you.” Kolika said with a look of pity.

“Not before I get my revenge, Mother!” Elizabeth said as her body completely dissolved.

The black puddle of ink stayed where Elizabeth once stood. Kolika felt her chest tighten up as guilt filled her heart. What if she had been softer with her words? Elizabeth would have never died and all of this wouldn’t have happened.

Suddenly, the ink puddle spiralled, forming foggy symbols on the floor. Kolika was stunned, how was the puddle of ink still moving? She looked at the symbols that Elizabeth left behind with sweat rolling down her face and goosebumps appearing on her skin–

Inkbound, that was what was written there, on the floor.

As a mini Easter egg, here’s a photo of the He(a)rd Magazine 4th issue, a scan of Inkbound in its published form, and Bella Wang and Vincent Ku at the He(a)rd Magazine 4th Issue Launch Party.