Puppet Show

Written for the Daily Flash Fiction Challenge with a word limit of 300.

The prompts: This story must contain the words: ribbon, spoon and violet

Puppet Show

Norman ignored the straps on his wrists as well as the guard standing in the corner. Instead, he focused on the silverware spread on the table in front of him; safely out of reach.

He’d give them what they wanted.

Feigning great effort, he leaned forward and a seemingly untouched spoon bent in half.

Child’s play really.

Let them gasp at the power of his mind. They had no idea.

He smiled at the thought of what he would take in return.

Norman knew they were there; studying him. In spite of the one-way mirror, he could see them. His mind’s eye roamed through the group as he savored the possibilities.

There was the tall skinny male with glasses - boring.

There was the techno-geek fiddling with the brain scanner as Norman’s brainwaves edged into the ultra-violet. Geeks were no fun. No one cared.

There, the young woman taking notes towards the back. Cute and shy, she would be unlikely to call out until it was too late.

Norman sliced out a small part of his mind and set it to entertaining the crowd. Knives and forks shook and bent as the researchers leaned in closer to catch every bit of the action. Meanwhile, his other mind slipped into the back of the observation room. It reached up slowly and loosened a ribbon that held back the hair of his choice du jour.

Once loose, he caused it to slide slowly around her neck where it slowly pulled up and…

“Okay, Norman, that’s enough for today.”

Damn, Norman thought. How does he always know?

Norman would never know that he was really only a puppet for the man wheeling him out of the room; the man who looked back over his shoulder and caused the ribbon to suddenly pull tight.

Word count 300