The Death of Tintagiles Death
By M. Kelly Peach
A surrealistic, dark urban fantasy, about a puppeteer named Kyle and his marionette Tintagiles. For a Detroit, MI puppet theatre, the newly created marionette will be playing the lead in an upcoming marionette play: The Death of Tintagiles, written by Maurice Maeterlinck.
Kyle’s beloved wife, Moira, suffers a seizure and subsequent coma. His alcoholism hinders his ability to make the necessary decision to remove Moira, who has been in a vegetative state, from life support. Meanwhile, the marionette he is making is coming to life.
The climactic ending has a fully-awakened Tintagiles on stage for a rehearsal of the marionette play. Lost in the world of the play, it is under the delusion that the operating puppeteer is the evil Queen, and breaks from the script. It draws its sword, cuts its back string, climbs up it, and slays the monstrous Queen.