Chapter 437: Play
Sparkle was pointing at a pirate puppet with a missing leg.
As the strings above the pirate puppet moved, the pirate puppet danced nimbly on the stage as if it were alive.
At Sparkle's remark, the middle-aged man burst out into a peal of hearty laughter, saying, "Little girl, that's not a toy. That's one of their props, and they're not going to sell it."
However, Charles didn't think so and patted Sparkle's calf. "All right, let's finish this show first, and I'll buy it for you afterward."
This was the first time Sparkle had asked him for something, and Charles was determined to fulfill Sparkle's request. He had to compensate for missing out on his responsibilities as a father from her earlier months.
The play soon ended, and the ending was quite grimthe pirates died upon being eaten by the sea monsters.
Charles carried Sparkle over to the side door that led to the backstage. He soon stumbled upon a bearded, chubby man. The latter was the stage manager of the small puppet theater.
Upon hearing about Charles' request, the chubby man refused, saying that the puppets were custom-made performance puppets that were absolutely not for sale.
However, his attitude whipped around the moment he heard of the price that Charles was willing to pay for the puppets. The chubby man left briefly and returned with a box containing the puppets from earlier.
"Sir, feel free to pick any of them! No, they're all yours!" the chubby man Channing said in a trembling voice.
Upon hearing Channing's remark, the puppets inside the box immediately raised a cacophonous din. They disgruntledly removed the tiny wooden helmets on their heads, revealing their true forms underneath.
It turned out that "puppets" weren't truly puppets. They were red and translucent, resembling premature babies. Charles found them a bit familiar, but he couldn't remember where they had seen them before.
"Channing! You're a demon that's greedier and more opportunistic than fur seals! You can't treat your partners like this!"
"Unfortunately, I can," Channing said as he closed the lid with a smug smile. The puppets' din could no longer be heard, so silence immediately descended upon the room.
Channing turned around and smiled at the surprised Charles. "Rest assured, sir. They are not dangerous at all; they're very easy to feed as well. Just feed them some of your leftovers every day, and you'll have a mobile theater.
"Imagine whipping out a mobile theater while you're drinking with your friends in a bar somewhereyou'll definitely steal the limelight!"
Charles looked up to stare at Sparkle. "What do you think? They're actually alive rather than real puppets. Do you still want them?"
Sparkle nodded vigorously. "I don't want them all. I just want those two with daggers."
Two minutes later, Charles walked out of the theater with two listless tiny men in her hands.
"Why two?" Charles asked.
"I'm sure Nene would want one. Her daddy never bought her something like this, so I decided to have my daddy buy her one," Sparkle replied.
"Is Nene your friend?" Charles asked.
"Mmhm. Her daddy went out to sea one day and never came back."
Charles abruptly came to a halt. Moments later, he continued walking, strolling down the streets with Sparkle on his shoulders. He walked toward the flea market, where virtually anything could be found.
Their market crawl allowed Charles to confirm his assumptionSparkle was indeed full of curiosity toward anything novel.
Although unsure whether he was doing the right thing or not, Charles bought everything as long as Sparkle wanted that item. By the time the two finished their market crawl, Charles was carrying two of a variety of items.
Charles walked slowly toward the Governor's Mansion and recounted everything he had experienced so far to Sparkle sitting on his shoulders.
"That island was very unique; it was unlike any other island I've been to at the time. The buildings on that island resembled the buildings on the surface world, and when I saw them, I really felt like I was back on the surface world.
"If it weren't for the pitch-black sky, I'd have believed that I was back on the surface. And you know the twist? It turns out that those buildings were all imitations created by monsters.
"No wonder those buildings looked so lifeless; they simply imitated their appearance without imitating the purpose of those buildings."
Sparkle wrapped her arms around Charles' forehead, and she listened to the bizarre stories of her father with wide eyes. She found Charles' stories to be far more interesting than buying novel things.
Charles continued recounting his experience, and he soon finished recounting his trip to the island where they had discovered 010.
Sparkle couldn't help but remark, "Daddy, I finally understand why you like to go out to sea. The sea is much more interesting than being on land."
Carrying a variety of toys and trinkets in his hands, Charles chuckled. "Yeah, the sea is very interesting, but it's extremely dangerous as well."
"Then, can I go with you the next time you go out to sea?"
"No!" Charles replied, decisively rejecting Sparkle's request. Realizing that his firm reply might scare Sparkle, Charles hurriedly added, "My next voyage is somewhere that is not too dangerous. I'm coming back immediately once I've gotten the key as well, so you don't have to come with me.
"I have your sketch with me as well. If I find something interesting, I'll call you over through the sketch; I promise."
"Mmhm." Sparkle nodded. "You must keep your promise, okay?"
"Hahaha, I'm definitely going to keep my promise."
"But Mommy told me that you always lie and that you never keep your promises."
"..."
The two unconsciously became more familiar with each other, and the awkward sense of estrangement between them had vanished.
"Sir, please let me go" the pirate puppet in Sparkle's hand pleaded, looking dejected. "I"
The pirate puppet couldn't continue his sentence as Sparkle chucked the pirate puppet into her mouth. A few seconds later, she reached into her mouth and pulled the pirate puppet out.
Drenched in saliva, the pirate puppet's eyes were shut as he wailed loudly in despair.
"Daddy, it's sweet. Want a taste?" Sparkle asked.
Charles shook his head and turned to the pirate puppet. "Just play with her. I'm going to let you go once she's gotten tired of you."
Charles looked away, but he caught a glimpse of something green in his peripheral vision. He turned and saw a topless, green-haired boy standing in the distance.
There were only a handful of green-haired people throughout Hope Island, and judging from the boy's snot-stricken face, the boy had to be Feuerbach's son.
What's wrong with Feuerbach? His son looks like he's just three years old, so why is Feuerbach letting him run around topless? Charles frowned and started walking toward the green-haired boy.
The stout, green-haired boy took one glance at Sparkle and immediately turned around, running away at a speed that caught Charles off guard.
He sure is a fast kid, but Linda told me he's a bit lacking in intellect. Charles thought. He eventually set aside the thought and continued walking toward the Governor's Mansion with Sparkle.
Charles decided to take the scenic route, so by the time he reached the entrance of the Governor's Mansion, he was carrying a few more trinkets and toys in his hands. Charles put all of their spoils today in a large box so Sparkle could conveniently carry everything at once.
"Sparkle, give this to your mom," Charles said, handing over a cell phone to Sparkle. "I've recorded everything in there. She just has to open it, and she'll know what I have to say."
Sparkle nodded in a daze. Then, she put a hand on the large box next to her and was about to leave when she turned around and stared at Charles.
"Daddy, can we play like this again? I really had fun today," Sparkle asked.
Charles was stunned, but he recovered quickly and nodded. "Sure."
"Okay, I'll come back tomorrow, then."
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