Chapter 1: Playing the Part



“…Woah…”



Despite having told herself countless times to keep things professional, Penny couldn’t help but let the word slip from her lips, a giddy smile forming on her face as her wide blue eyes began to turn over the scene in front of her. As far as she could see, the space in front of her was filled to the brim with vibrantly colored buildings, costumed characters, larger than life attractions, and a themed world to fit it all in. This was Wonderland Studios Theme Park, but more than that, it was her new place of work.



Growing up, Penny had always been in love with Wonderland; be it the movies produced by their studio or visits to the theme park as a kid, there was always a certain level of magic in everything the company did, a magic that captured Penny’s imagination from a young age. What started as a childhood obsession eventually turned into a lifelong passion though, Penny leaning into her love for the world of Wonderland instead of growing out of it. All throughout her college years, she found herself seeing each new Wonderland Studios film in theaters, visiting the nearby park when she could, even lining her small dorm room with merch and stuffed toys of various characters. All this resulted in the occasional question from her friends as to why she was so into all this ‘kid stuff,’ but she shrugged it off; ‘Not everyone can appreciate magic I guess,’ she jokingly reassured herself, content even if she was seen as a bit childish.



After graduating, it was only natural that she gravitated towards not just being a lifelong fan of Wonderland, but wanting to work for them too. Afterall, she couldn’t think of a better job than being able to be part of the magic of the parks, not just enjoy it. After a tense application process and a lengthy wait to hear back from the company, she practically shattered the windows of her room screaming in excitement as she finally received a job offer. Not just any job offer though, but in the role of a character actress, someone who’d play the part of a costumed character in the park itself. Now, barely a few weeks after receiving the offer, here she was, standing at the foot of the park, ready to start her first day of work.



She had been to the park countless times before, but never like this, never as the newest employee of the Wonderland family. Nervously running her hands along the braid that held her bright red hair, Penny took one more deep breath and waved her hand past her face as she put on a serious, professional expression, though within seconds her smile began to peak through the guise regardless. Taking her first steps into the park, Penny began to make her way through the crowd and towards the section of the park where she was supposed to meet her new boss.



Caught up in the energy of it all as she made her way through the bustling amusement park, Penny eagerly propped herself up on her toes every so often to peak above the crowd, if only to make sure she was headed in the right direction. Penny was ‘vertically challenged’ as her friends liked to put it, the girl eye level with the shoulders of most of the adult patrons around her. As she neared the section of the park she was supposed to meet her boss in, Penny found herself almost jumping to try to see if she was in the right place. As she did though, she stopped short as she felt a hand on her shoulder and a warm voice ring out from behind her. “You wouldn’t happen to be Penny, would you?”



With her eyes going a bit wide and standing up straight as she did, Penny turned around stiffly to meet the voice behind her. There, dressed neatly in a dark blue pant suit, was a taller woman with long black hair and a pair of deep brown eyes looking back at her. On the woman’s lapel was a small pin in the shape of the Wonderland Studios logo, with ‘Janet: Park Manager’ inscribed in fanciful handwriting across it. Blushing slightly, Penny found herself caught off guard for a moment, speaking up in a frantic tone. “Hi… I’m Penny, nice to meet you, I’m sorry about that, it’s just I couldn’t see, and-“ Stopping short as Janet shot her a slight smirk, Penny calmed slightly as she heard her speak up once more. “Don’t worry about it, Penny. Glad you found the place alright. Welcome to Wonderland!” Pausing for a moment, the woman lifting her hands as if to show off the park around her. “The place where dreams come true and magic is around every corner! Now come’on, Let’s go talk in a place that’s a little less, well, filled with people?” Nodding, Penny was quick to follow the woman, letting out a slight sigh as she did. ‘Great first impression, Penny.’



Not too far from where they stood prior, Janet walked up to one of the many vibrantly colored and exaggerated buildings that lined this section of the park. Penny was always under the impression that they were just for show, prop-up decorations to help flesh-out that section of the park, but she was surprised to see as Janet waved a keycard and reached for the doorknob of one of the bright pink doors. “Ready to step through the looking glass?” Janet asked, opening the door and holding it open for Penny to enter. Stepping through, Penny’s eyes went a bit wide once more.



“This is what it’s like behind the curtain,” Janet started, glancing over her shoulder to speak as the two walked forward. Penny did her best to pay attention to the words of her new boss, who candidly explained the ins and outs of working behind the scenes at Wonderland, but admittedly Penny couldn’t help but be distracted by something new with each step down the hall. Each room they passed in the hall seemed to be filled with remarkable things; rooms of themed toys of all sizes, seas of clothes racks filled with character costumes, even rooms filled with realistic animatronics from all over the park being stored for later use. It was tempting to stop and take a closer look, but instead she did her best to shake it off and listen to her boss as they neared the end of the hall, making their way through a set of large bay doors.



There, filled with people in all manner of costumes, was an oblong hub with tunnels leading all over the park. Penny had always heard that there was an underground section of Wonderland so workers could get around unseen, but she never would have thought it was this elaborate. Though there was even more to be distracted by here than before, something specific caught Penny’s eye as they stepped into the hub: there, in the middle of the room, was a remarkably normal looking man. While everyone else was in various stages of getting into costume and heading to their sections of the park, he was in plain clothes, standing there with an all too familiar look of nervousness as he glanced around the room. To Penny’s surprise though, instead of heading to any of the other hallways or rooms that surrounded the hub, Janet was making a b-line right towards him.



Confused, Penny picked up the pace, watching from a short distance as Janet approached the man, shook his hand, and turned to face Penny as she approached. “Penny, this is Tim. He’s a new ‘cast member’ just like you! In fact,” Janet paused, almost playfully nudging the pair towards each other. “You two character actors are gonna be working together as partners in the park!” Tilting her head slightly, Penny let out a nervous smirk as she looked to the stranger across from her. She wasn’t expecting to be working with other too too closely character actors, let alone have a partner, but even at first glance she couldn’t help but be relieved her apparent partner was at least easy on the eyes. Extending his hand to give her a slightly awkward handshake, the man looked to her with a pair of dark green eyes, a somewhat rugged completion, with dark hair and a short beard to match.



“Well, like Janet said, I’m Tim… Penny, was it?” He spoke up, a warm tone to his voice that helped to alleviate some of the tension. “Yeah, nice to meet you Tim.” Shooting him a smile, Penny was ready to start the whole ‘So where are you from, where did you go to school, oh really? That’s nice,’ spiel to at least get acquainted with her new partner, but before they had a chance, Janet chimed in. “Ok you two, let’s get you two in costume and ready for the park!” Both were a bit taken aback, watching as Janet already turned and began to lead them somewhere new. Glancing to each other before hopping to keep up with her boss, Tim spoke up. “Wait, right now? We haven’t even been told what characters we were cast as!” Glancing behind her with a slight smirk, Janet replied without slowing her pace. “Well I guess the best way to find that out would be to get you two into costume!”



After a brisk walk, the pair followed Janet into a new room at the end of the hub, a brightly lit space lined with mirrors and various pieces of costumes. “This is where the real magic happens; hair and make-up!” Slowing their pace as the pair stepped into the room, Penny watched as Janet quickly addressed two of the hair and make-up artists, turning to Tim as their boss chatted away. “So, partner, what do you think we’re-“ Before Penny could finish her thought, she felt as someone took her by the arm and guided her one way while someone else did the same to Tim in the other, the pair sharing one last confused glance before Penny found herself sat in a red vinyl chair. Looking to the mirror across from the chair, she could see a woman standing behind her, assumedly the one who had just sat her in the chair to begin with. Watching as she prepared a series of brushes and costume materials, Penny meekly spoke up. “So, can you tell me what my character I’m going to be?” Glancing to her reflection and letting out a halfhearted chuckle, the woman bluntly stated “Nope, waste of time.” Pursing her lips slightly, Penny felt more like a prop than an actress, but she shrugged it off, feeling as her make-up artist started her work on her.



Through the powder and the hairspray, Penny could hardly tell what was going on for most of the experience. She felt a pair of hands undo her braid and then rearrange her hair, thin make up brushes running along her face and down to her neck, even a separate pair of hands undo the back of her shirt and hand her a long, smooth piece of fabric on her lap. From there, the rest went so quickly it almost felt like magic, feeling as she was stood up and almost instantly slipped into whatever costume was placed on her lap, what Penny could at least tell was a knee-high dress. Below there, a pair of thick socks glided past her ankles, with a pair of stiff but perfectly fitting shoes on her feet. Feeling as some finishing touches were done on her face and even some brushes on her arms, she felt as a pair of what felt like mittens were slid onto her hands. With a slight cough as the dust settled, Penny felt like a dress up doll being played with for how much she was tugged along during the process, but as she felt the chair she sat in rotated towards the mirror, she couldn’t care how roughly she got played with. She looked like something out of a dream. She looked like, well…

“A Puppet?”

With a bright smile on her face, Penny looked over what she was turned into with an untamable giddiness. “Well a marionette, but yeah, a puppet. That’s what the boss lady said you were supposed to be at least.” Taking a moment to absorb the image in the mirror in front of her, Penny still couldn’t believe she was looking at herself. There, in the reflection, was what looked like a life-sized marionette with red hair pulled into an elaborate French braid, dressed in a fanciful deep green German dirndl that went down to her knees. At her face, a pair of red circles adorned her cheeks, with make-up applied across her face to give it an almost wooden texture to it. Her eyes were exaggerated to dollish proportions, her lips an appropriately vibrant shade of red, even with two darkly painted lines from the corners of her mouth down to her chin like one would see on a ventriloquist doll. The level of detail persisted as her gaze moved down, looking to painted-on ball joints at her neck, her elbows, and her knees, each realistic to the point where at a distance one would think she really was a doll. At her hands were a pair of white mittens, consistent with the dollish appearance she now had, and two cartoonishly proportioned black shoes at her feet. There were even small painted notches across her body where her strings would be attached.



Struggling to find the right words, Penny looked to the woman that had ‘made’ her with a look of awe. “How did you…and so quickly… I mean…” Chiming in, the woman spoke up as she patted the puppet on her shoulder. “If you do something every day you tend to get good at it. That, and well magic, but it’s mainly me, hun.” Before the puppet even had time to thank her, Penny felt herself pulled up and shooed away from the chair, the woman being as pointed as ever with her timing as she motioned Penny towards where Janet stood. The girl walked slowly towards her boss, taking her time to look down as she walked admire her new costume, but as she did she heard Tim’s voice speak up. “Wait, so what am I supposed to be exactly?” There, Tim’s back was to Penny, looking back to the side of the room where he came from for some semblance of an answer. Turning around, Tim looked to Janet with the same question on the edge of his lips. Now, Penny finally got a good look at her partner: dressed simply in what appeared to be the clothes of a craftsmen, a pair of suspenders, a old German styled shirt, sturdy black shoes and a brown leather work-apron around his waist. It was easy to see why Tim would be confused out of context, but seeing that she was a puppet, it was clear to Penny: his costume was supposed to be modeled after Geppetto, the toy maker from Pinocchio.



With Penny giggling slightly at the display, Tim’s gaze finally turned to meet her, his heart seemingly skipping a beat as he did. All at once, it clicked. “Oh…oh wow. So I’m a puppeteer, and Penny is my-“ cutting him off before he could finish, Janet pulled the two together until their shoulders bumped, a flustered expression on their faces as Janet looked over the pair. “She’s your newest creation! A doll you carved yourself in your workshop and are ready to use to wow kids and adults alike with your fantastic puppetry!” Leaning in, speaking in a joking whisper of a tone, she continued. “And secretly, you wish your puppet was a real girl, but alas, the lass is just wood and string,” she japed, lifting Penny’s gloved hand before letting it fall limp at her side. Blushing, the pair looked at each other before being tugged along out of the room and back into the hub. “Now come on you two, there’s a whole park out there waiting for the puppet show!”



As they were tugged along, Penny and Tim couldn’t help but shoot each other another nervous grin; their first day in the park was a lot more, well, horribly frantic than either of them anticipated, but as they reached the end of one of the parks tunnels, the anxious energy of it all seemed to meet at a head. Stopping just at the foot of a large, green door with a handle in the dead center. Janet looked to the pair for one last time before stating: “And I almost forgot,” handing Tim something: two marionette control rods with thin white string dangling from the end. “Have fun out there you two! And remember, when you’re out in the park, you’re not just playing a character, you are the character. So,” pointing at Tim first followed by Penny, “Tim the Toy Maker and Penny the Puppet, enjoy your first day and I’ll come collect you later!” At that, Janet walked back down the tunnel at her usual speed-walk and the two were left at the door alone. Though they had just met, it already felt like they had been through a war together, both collecting their breath before looking to each other. “So… that felt a bit rushed… Are we just supposed to get out there and do… well what exactly?” Giving him a confused look and a shrug, Penny didn’t know what to say. Well then… partner. Are you ready?” With a nod, Penny reached for the doorknob, opening the door back out into the park.



Stepping out the doorway, the pair took a second to let their eyes adjust to the bright sun outside. As they did, Penny looked around quickly, instantly recognizing which part of the park they were in: A whole section of Wonderland was based around various countries throughout the world, and currently they found themselves right in the middle of “An Old Country German town.” Up and down the road they found themselves on were stylized Bavarian houses, a range of deep greens and blues making up the shutters and rooves of each shop. There were vendors, appropriate themed gift shops, even a Bierhaus nearing the end of the road, all of which were filled with visitors of the park. One shop in particular caught Penny’s attention though: a Toy Shop in the lot right across from them. It didn’t take long to put 2 and 2 together, Penny glancing down at a small wooden stage, little more than a stoop, in front of the store. Tim noticed it too, attempting to shrug off his nerves. “Guess that’s where we’re supposed to be then Penny. Ready to start the show?” Taking his first step, Tim stopped as he felt a mittened hand tug at the end of his shirt, Penny leaning into whisper in his ear. “I don’t think puppets can walk across the street on their own Tim.” Taking a second to understand what she meant, Tim let out another sigh before reluctantly smiling at the doll. “Don’t just play the part, be the part.” Nodding, Penny put on her best dollish smile and slumped towards him, as if she really was just a puppet. She wasn’t sure why she trusted Tim, a complete stranger, to catch her, but for some reason in the back of her mind it seemed second nature. ‘I’m a puppet, guess I better start trusting my puppeteer.’ Without a doubt in the dolls mind, Tim caught her, pausing for a moment before scooping the shorter girl, or rather his puppet, under his arm. “Show time,” he said in a light-hearted tone, Penny smiling as she dangled loosely from his grasp.



Crossing the street, the pair got a few strange looks, but each passer-by quickly acknowledged them just another set of performers working for the park. Reaching the stage in front of the toy shop, Penny felt as Tim set her down on the edge of the stoop, her legs bowing inwards as she slumped slightly where she sat. She could feel eyes on her as people passed by, doing her best to ignore her nervousness. From the back of her mind though, she heard a voice speak up. ‘Puppets don’t get nervous, so you shouldn’t be either.’ She wasn’t sure if the voice was her own or someone else’s, but all the same she kept her composure as she felt Tim set up her strings. Attaching strings around her gloved wrists, as well as two at her knees, Penny felt as Tim tugged her strings as to make her hands swing in place as if she was marching. At that though, Penny felt something she didn’t expect, one more string attaching itself to the top of her head. She hadn’t notice prior, but the hairdresser had stuck a small latch into her French braid, a place to connect a string that wouldn’t tug one part of her hair too hard. Feeling that last string fall into place, the puppet was ready, hearing Tim whisper in her ear as she felt the strings go taut. “Just, well, follow my lead I guess?” ‘Like I have a choice,’ she joked to herself, feeling as she was lifted off the stoop.



It was an odd feeling being lifted by her strings; the thin wires were for little more than show and held almost none of her body weight, Penny’s body lifting itself up on her own accord, but she felt as if her movements really were being guided by the strings. By the time she was standing up straight, Tim taking a few seconds to gather his bearings as he toyed with her strings, Penny felt a calm wash over her. ‘I’m just a puppet, I have nothing to worry about. Tim’s the one calling the shots, just need to follow along.’ At that, Penny felt her arms lifted up in an exaggerated yawn, taking a playful pose before feeling her strings guide her to take a few steps off the stage. ‘Wow, Tim is surprisingly good at this…’ the puppet found herself thinking, expecting her partner to be an amateur at best who would be jerking her around with each motion. Instead, she felt her strings guided fluidly, her body moving like it was almost second nature to the two of them. That wasn’t the only thing that caught her by surprise though, hearing her puppeteer as his now confident voice rang out above her head. “Gather ‘round everyone, the show is just starting! Who will stop and see the performance of this beauty of a puppet and her humble puppeteer?” ‘Beauty?’ Penny found herself thinking, wondering where the nervous man she just met had gone, but looking out at the dozens of eyes now on the pair, she didn’t have much time to question things.



All at once, Penny felt as she sprang to life, her body moving faster than her mind as she felt her strings tug her along. With his hands holding the control rod above her head, the puppet felt herself begin to strut along the edge of the crowd and the stage. She could see the faces of the people who had stopped to watch her, but she was past being nervous now; now she was just a prop in Tim’s performance. She wasn’t even sure from where, but a second later Penny heard as music began to play with an upbeat folky tone to it. At that, she felt herself twirl, her dress spinning around her as the puppet began to dance. She wasn’t sure how Tim was doing this, let alone how she was doing this, but it felt… good. Quickly, the smile on her face became more than a painted-on smirk, becoming very real instead. All eyes were on her, Penny the dancing puppet, as she performed move after move of an elaborate dance routine that Tim must have been making up as he went. The thing is, it all felt effortless, and seeing that she was being guided by strings without much say in the matter, it kind of was for Penny. After what felt far too short, but in reality was several minutes later, Penny felt as her dance came to a close, being puppeted to curtsy the crowd as she heard a wave of applause directed at her. For the second time that day, she found herself lost in awe at a feeling. ‘…woah…’



Sitting Penny back down on the stoop of the stage, letting the doll slump once more as her strings went slack, Tim took some time to talk to members of the crowd that approached them. The comments were all along the same lines: “That was amazing! How’d you get so good at that? Is she actually a puppet or an actress?” Each time, Tim handled the questions in stride, sticking to the script. “I’m just a toy maker, nothing special. Penny here might just be a puppet, but she’s the special one.” Still giddy about her performance, Penny sat where she was left for a few more moments before something caught her eye: a young girl looking at her intently from across the crowd. Watching as the girl slowly approached the stage, Penny saw from the corner of her eye as she tugged at Tim’s pant leg. Kneeling down to her level with a smirk, Tim spoke up as he humorously stroked his beard. “What can I help you with, little one?” Pausing for a few seconds, the girl looked between him and Penny. “She’s not actually a dolly, is she,” she said with a reluctant tone of skepticism in her voice. Hearing Tim chuckle slightly at the remark, Penny felt as she was pulled onto his lap. She would blush if she could, but true as ever, she stayed in character, even as Tim handed one of her strings to the girl. Feeling as her head bobbed up and down, her wrists dangling from her strings as she found herself in an almost ‘puppy dog’ pose, Penny went limp once more and rolled her head back onto Tim’s shoulder as the girl let go. Propping her back up, Tim finally replied. “See? Just a puppet, and a great one at that. But, well, between you and me,” Tim leaned in with a hushed tone, “I wish she was more than a dolly sometimes too. If you see a Blue Fairy around here somewhere, send her here, ok? Oh how I would love for Penny to be real girl.” Acting jokingly dramatic, Penny felt as Tim puppeted her palms pressed together and her head tilted to one side, as if to ask ‘Pleeease?’ to the girl. With a laugh and a smile, the girl nodded, happily returning to her family and leaving the pair alone once more.



The rest of the day went just as smoothly, if not better with time. The pair did a few more performances throughout the day, but for the bulk of their time Tim really just puppeted and toyed with Penny around outside the toy shop: walking her up to guests, doing the occasional expressive gag, and really just using Penny playfully to the amusement of random people walking by. By the time the crowds began to thin out and the park began to close, Penny felt exhausted, though she couldn’t be happier. This job wasn’t anywhere near what she expected, but at the same time it was so much better, so much more magical. She almost felt disappointed as she saw Janet emerge from the green door across the road, feeling as Tim took off her strings and scooped her up under his arm as he did before. Dangling in his grasp, the doll reassured herself. ‘Well, there’s always tomorrow.’



Stepping into the doorway and back into the tunnels, Tim set Penny down beside Janet. All at once, Penny seemed to find her mobility, standing up instead of simply going limp for the first time in hours. Blinking slightly, caught off guard as her mind returned to normal, a bright smile came over her face as she practically jumped on Tim to give him a hug. “That was amazing!” She exclaimed, Tim hesitant to hug her back before giving in to his own excitement, a similar smile creeping over his face. Smirking, Janet looked over the pair. “I see that you two had a good day, and I heard great things about your little puppet shows. Great work!” Without skipping a beat, Janet began to make her way into the tunnels, expecting the pair to follow. Giggling to themselves for a moment, Penny looked to Tim before beginning to follow their boss, only to stop as she felt him tug her hand back. Stopping, she turned back only to see that Tim’s typical nervous demeanor had returned as if it had never gone away, nothing like the puppeteer she just performed with. “Hey, Penny, I just wanted to say, sorry if I went a little too far out there. I don’t know what got into me; I treated you like an actual toy all day! I mean I pulled you onto my lap, which was really inappropriate, but-“ Stopping him short, Penny playfully lifted a mittened hand to his mouth, smirking at the man. “Tim, don’t worry about it. Today was fun…really fun actually. Now come on, let’s get going before Janet laps us.” With a relieved sigh, Tim watched for a moment as his puppet picked up her stride to follow their boss, smiling before doing the same himself. Taking one last look down at her costume, then back to Tim behind her, Penny couldn’t stop smiling. “I think I might just enjoy this whole ‘being a puppet’ thing,” she thought, her mind racing as to where her new role would take her next.