There it was: My grandfather Albert’s estate. Never before had I been so close to it—his eccentric and secretive nature closed him off from the rest of the family. He didn’t even let anyone visit, in fact. But now he has passed on, and in his will, he left his manor and possessions to me. I certainly couldn’t figure out why, and the rest of my family didn’t either, but… I certainly had no cause to complain. His manor was now mine, and I couldn’t wait to look inside. From the outside, it looked quite spacious and fanciful, and though it wasn’t mansion-sized, it was certainly much bigger than any home I had ever lived in.

I unlocked the door and stepped into the manor’s large foyer. It was certainly spacious, although nothing unusual caught my eye. I had always heard my grandfather was a famed inventor, and yet… where were his inventions?

I explored every room one-by-one. As would be expected of an older man like him, his home was stocked with dated antiques and old-fashioned furnishings, and yet, no sign of any unusual inventions. My search brought me out back to the vast gardens. They were certainly beautiful, no doubt, but still, my curiosity was not yet sated.

Soon I returned to the manor itself, giving it another look-over to see if I missed something. After giving the second floor a once-over, I threw back my head, dejected that I would not be able to see any of my grandfather’s famous inventions. In that moment, however, I noticed the thin outline of a trapdoor. Of course! His workshop must be in the attic. I pried at the door, which opened without much resistance. Eagerly I climbed the folded-out ladder into the dark attic.

The darkness overwhelmed me, but as I fumbled about, I eventually found a lightswitch, which I subsequently flicked on. A dull glow illuminated the room, revealing contraptions and constructs, gears and springs, all rusted, dusted, inert. All around me were strange trinkets—curiosities like a matchlock pistol with a decayed flower growing from the barrel, a gauntlet with what appeared to be telescopes for fingers, a small clockwork fish with ant-like legs. I was in awe at the sight of all these strange devices, but something else caught my eye.

At the end of the attic lied what appeared to be a large wooden structure which looked something like a phone booth, or perhaps a wardrobe. I approached it, for I couldn’t resist to see what was inside. Slowly, I reached the wardrobe, and pulled it open with a careful hand.

My eyes widened in shock when I saw a person stood inside, but a moment of observation it was clear this was only an imitation of a person. It was a doll or marionette, but person-sized. The marionette looked like a woman, with smooth wooden skin and distinctly-carved joints. It wore something which looked like an old Victorian dress. As I looked the strange marionette over, I heard a soft click, and the thing’s eyes opened! I jumped back a bit in surprise as it turned its glassy blue eyes towards me.

Gears softly clanked, and it began to speak in a soft monotone voice. “Hello.”

The thing spoke! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Was this marionette truly alive, or was this mechanical parlor-trickery?