The Conductor

I feel that he knows.
I can tell that he knows.

I lied, but I only did so to keep him calm.
I only did so because I didn’t want to see the tears on his face again.

Maybe I lied to reject what I saw a week ago.

However, the same questions never ceased to circle in my mind.

Where did he go that night?
What did he see?

Why was there blood on his hands?

What did he do?

I did my best to shake those thoughts from my head as I grabbed a package of screws and a roll of string and placed it onto the table, on the side so it would be out of the way.

I set out the wooden body parts that were carved earlier and went to work.

♪ “Arms. Legs.

Hands. Feet.

Torso. Neck. Head.

Connect with the screws…” ♪

I smiled a little at the sound of my voice.

♪ “Nose. Mouth. Lips. Eyes.

Carve and paint…

Hair. Clothes.

Sew, stitch, and glue…

Strings.

And another final product!” ♪

I gingerly took the marionette – I modeled her after the picture of a woman that I saw on Michael’s desk –, admiring her beauty until I heard footsteps down the stairs.

Michael was decently dressed, his short hair more of a disheveled mess than usual.

Regardless, I greeted him and gave him a smile.

“You’re up early…”
“I wanted to get a head start on another marionette.”

He walked over to me and took a look at the finished woman in my hands.

“You…You made Elizabeth…”

My smile went away with the solemn tone of his voice.

“I saw a picture of her on your desk. She’s very beautiful.”
“She was…”

I bit down on my lip.

“Is she your sister?”
“…She was my wife…”

Fear and guilt quickly built up in my stomach.

I kissed and touched him, but he had a wife! He had someone else who loved him and I—

“I know what you’re thinking, Tyler. There’s no use in feeling guilty now.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“She’s gone. Tomorrow would make three years…”

He took the marionette into his hands, observing it once more before smiling sadly.

“You captured her beauty perfectly, Tyler.”

He placed her back into my hands before retreating back upstairs, leaving me in silence.

I hung her up before the front door opened, revealing a woman and her daughter, both dressed in black and grey attire.

“Hello, are you looking for anything in particular?”
The woman dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and gave me a small smile before she nodded towards her daughter.

“I want a really pretty marionette.” The daughter spoke up.
I gave her a smile and motioned towards the various marionettes hanging from the ceiling.

While she looked, I decided to talk to her mother.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you for your condolence. She was only a friend; however, she died in such a tragic way…It’s almost hard to believe that she was murdered in such a way…her body was almost unrecognizable…”

Luckily the daughter chose her marionette so I wouldn’t have to hear any more of the tragic death of the mother’s friend, and I got it down for her; she hugged my legs in return.

The mother paid, thanked me for my time, and then they were gone.

I cleaned up the work space before I made my way upstairs.
I quietly opened the door, just in case Michael was asleep.

He wasn’t in bed; instead he was at his desk, scribbling into his journal.

“Michael…?”

He gasped slightly and quickly shut the journal.

“I’m sorry. Did I scare you?”

He sat back into the chair and shook his head.
I walked over to him and placed a hand onto his forehead; it was still warm.

“You should go back to bed; you still have a small fever.”
“I’ve been in bed all week…It’s unnerving.”

I crossed my arms over my chest.

“You need to get some rest so you will not be bedridden anymore.”

He sighed and stood up, placing a kiss to my forehead before he made his way to bed.
I bit down on my lip again, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks, and walked towards the door.

“Do you want me to bring you anything?”
“No. Thank you.”

“Alright...I lo—”
I stopped quickly, remembering the earlier mention of his wife.

“What was that?”
“N-Nothing. Just let me know if you need anything.”

I quickly exited the room and dashed back downstairs, making my way outside.
I sat down on the sidewalk and rested my head in my hands.

It’s wrong to feel what I do for him. It’s completely wrong.
Sarah was right.
Michael was right.

I was in the wrong the whole time.

I looked up at the sky that was clouded over.

However, I’m still Michael’s only companion.
He’s going to be at his lowest tomorrow because of whatever happened to his wife.

I have to be there for him, regardless of how I feel.
Maybe I could lighten his spirits and he’ll make a quick and full recovery.

I smiled to myself and stood up, making my way into town with small plans in mind.

Even though he will not return my feelings, his happiness will be worth it, and that’s all that will matter to me.