Punch’s Cousin, Chapter 286

Though the world continued around his body, and though Robert continued to desperately restore life to Julian’s breathless husk, Mr. Punch was unaware of what went on outside of the interior space that he shared with Julian, Scaramouche, Jack Ketch and one other.

“Use your head, Mr. Punch.” the mysterious voice reprimanded him. The voice was heavily accented—French. Mr. Punch recalled when he first met Adrienne and spoke to her in French, unaware that he even knew the language, but convinced that he must, in fact, know the same things that Julian knew.

“Who are you then?” Punch grunted as he continued to beat Jack Ketch about the head and shoulders with the stick that he had imagined.

“Je ne crois pas que vous devez demander. M. Punch, ne pensez-vous pas là me connaître? Vous devriez le faire. Je suis, bien sûr, votre cousin.”

“Me cousin?” Punch scowled. He continued to slap at Jack Ketch who tried in vain to escape. “Here, I ain’t got no cousin.”

“Perhaps His Grace has no other family, but you, Mr. Punch, you have cousins all over the world. Yours is an, ‘Énorme famill.’ Vous avez cousins dans le monde entier. Nous avons tous chefs de bois. Nous sommes tous liés ensemble dans la fraternité des marionnettes.”

“I ain’t no marionette neither.” Punch spat. “I’m what’s called a glove puppet and I ain’t even that no more. I’m a man with legs and…”

“You’re not a man. You’re only the thoughts of a man—controlled by another. You are still a puppet, cher ami en bois.”

“Shut your gob, then!” Punch growled.

“I will, but, I must caution you. You’re too much at your present task. You’ve failed the Kingdom.”

“Here, what are you talkin’ ‘bout?” Punch shook his head as he continued to beat Jack Ketch.

“Mr. Ketch cannot harm you. None of us, inside here, can harm you. We all function like the gears of a clock, we grind and move, but serve to make the whole. You’re the force that propels us. And, you’ve let the pendulum stop swinging.”

“Ugh!” Punch screamed. “I ain’t got time for poetry, I don’t.”

“Shut your eyes,” the voice commanded.

“No.” Punch replied.

“Do this, cher Punch!” The voice urged. “Do this and will Jack Ketch away. He will comply.”

“Oh!” Punch shouted, shutting his eyes. “Go away, Jack Ketch!”

When Punch opened his eyes again, he found he was swatting at the air where Jack Ketch had been hunched over. The hooded figure was gone.

“There,” the voice oozed. “Now, start the pendulum so that the clock might keep time.”

“What clock?” Punch groaned. “Ain’t no clock!”

“On the mantel.” The voice replied curtly.

Punch looked to his left and saw upon the phantom mantel a wide black slate clock surmounted by a bronze figure which strangely resembled Julian, standing tall with extended hands.

Punch reached behind the clock, opening the round metal door on the reverse of the case and flicked the pendulum with his finger. It began ticking, first weakly, and then with the strength of gravity.

Punch felt warm as Julian’s body began to breathe again. He could hear Robert’s cheers of relief from outside.



Did you miss Chapters 1-285? If so, you can read them here.