The Puppeteer

"The Puppeteer" is a short Cthulhu Mythos story by British author Gary Budgen. It was published in the thematic anthology Swords Against Cthulhu II: Hyperborean Nights by Rogue Planet Press in January 2017.
== Synopsis ==
Young Naj, son of a Hyperborean landowner, develops an obsession with reclusive puppeteer Ridwan, a tenant on his father's property. Following the man, he witnesses him capture a wild Voormi before shrinking the poor creature down into a doll-sized mannikin and carrying it off.
Both terrified and fascinated by what he has seen, Naj waits until Ridwan has left his home before breaking in. Inside, he discovers hundreds of shrunken creatures inhabiting a miniature town, but is caught red-handed by the returning wizard. The man reveals to the boy how as a young man he was taken from his family and brought into the service of the Great Old One Tsathoggua, whose work he continues to this day. To prevent the boy from revealing what he has seen, Ridwan then shrinks him down to puppet size and sets him among the others, playing out a nightly hunt through the streets of the tiny town.
Category:Gary Budgen works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works