Oh, how I have missed making up stories! I spent the entire weekend working on the puppets and I have finished three more characters and have plenty more in various stages of completion. The new additions are the king, the freeloader and the lap dog. I have the best intentions not get too attached to the new puppets as they will be for sale at the upcoming exhibition. So I am deliberately not giving them names but they still tell me their stories while I sit there shaping their features. This one here reminds me of the common dormouse. She has a cute little face and you just want to cuddle her. Her skin mainly shows parts of vegetables. So she is focussed on the food that she tries to score for free. Fortunately she doesn’t need much. And now I am already attached to her!
L’Artiste wanted to tag me and he had thought up some curly questions. Unfortunately I had to disappoint him and decline. I was busy sanding wooden window frames yesterday. Admittedly not one of my favorite past-times and therefore I wasn’t in the mood to answer anything last night. Thankfully I have a good excuse. The game they are currently playing is called “Tag-a-Dede” and I am not a Dede, or am I?
Socialite was a bit slow coming up with questions and telling us who she wants to tag. We should have guessed, really. She was after L’Artiste. She had been so keen on interviewing him ever since his film “Life of an Artist” was posted. This time she got lucky. It took her a while to find him, though, to present him the questions. But then he couldn’t hide forever.
1.Why are you an artist?
L’Artiste: I think I have answered this question before. I just am, there is no reason for it!
2. What would you be if you weren’t an artist?
L’Artiste: Dead!
3. What would you consider a must read for every artist?
L’Artiste: “Josephine the singer, or the mouse folk” by Kafka. I only read it recently when the blogger Eva-d recommended it after I had released my film. It deals with the perception of the arts by the audience and the artist. It made me think a lot.
4. What was the most intriguing piece of information you have heard lately, not sourced from the internet?
L’Artiste: I read a very interesting article about fraternal polyandry in a Western Chinese province.
Socialite: You’ll have to explain that.
L’Artiste: No, I only have to answer the question! And I think I have.
5. What are you currently working on?
L’Artiste: On a “Stair spirit” for the new stairs we will have in the house soon. It is sort of like the Saints that were placed at bridges to ensure a safe journey across. My one will of course look totally different, but has the same function.
Devil had the great idea yesterday to play tag-a-Dede for a while, but he didn’t reckon with the rest of the Dedes. When he put it to the others they rolled their eyes, or at least some of them did. Luckily for Devil, Witch was busy cooking as usual and didn’t pay much attention to what he had to say. When Devil announced he would tag her first up she didn’t react at all, so Devil took it she’d agreed.
It was a slightly different story this morning when he wanted to give her the questions she had to answer. All of a sudden she didn’t want to have a bar of it. Everybody had a hard time convincing her that she was indeed present when the game was discussed and she did not object to being the first one tagged.
Finally she shrugged her shoulders and conceded. “But I won’t tell you how old I am!” she said, as Devil handed her the questions. “Rest assured, there are no incriminating questions” said Devil. “You can answer in any way you like. We don’t know if they are correct!” Of course I know very well everyone will try to appear in the best possible light.
1. What is your pet hate?
Witch: When someone judges without knowing the full story.
2. Describe yourself in three words?
Witch: Patient, independent, good looking.
3. Is there anything you can’t get your head around?
Witch: If someone puts profit over humanity and the environment
4. If you could eradicate one thing from the world, what would this be!
Witch: Racism
5. You are a witch, why don’t you just eradicate it then?
Witch: I am a witch not the Almighty. There are limitations to what I can do. Like everybody else I can but try.
Witch was obviously relieved that it was over, but Devil explained to her that it was now her turn to come up with five questions for another Dede. “Who would you like to tag, then?”
“Socialite” she answered, as she was sitting right opposite.
The Dedes were very upset that I brushed them off on Friday night. Quicker than I had anticipated, they re-instated Devil as their spokesperson. It was a unanimous decision, mainly because nobody else wanted to do the job and Devil wasn’t really that serious about handing in his resignation. Secretly, he was chuffed everybody voted to have him back in the job.
Being earnest about his new, old, position he came straight to me and aired the concern that bothered everyone. “Have you fallen out of love with us?” he asked outright.
“Of course not!” I said. It must have sounded pretty lame, rather like I wanted to fob him off again.
“But why are you not writing about us then? There is still stuff happening in the Dede world. You simply don’t report about us anymore! When we look at the blog there are only photos of things we don’t even recognise. I don’t know how many times I have to remind you, it is our blog and it is your obligation to write about us. At least that is what our contract says, or am I wrong?”
“Devil, we never signed a contract!”
“Ah well, naming the blog dedepuppets.com is as good as a contract!”
“I agree, it is your blog and yes, it has your name.”
“So, do your job then. I’ll watch you!” he said and turned away ready to leave.
“Hang on, hang on…” I said. I wanted to ask him what they would do if I don’t comply. Are they going to find themselves a new artist? Tough luck. Let’s face it, the Dedes and I are linked, come hell or high water. I have to admit, at the moment I am sick of these demanding little critters who can see only their own perspective. Oh, I would so like to give them a piece of my mind for a change, but I bit my tongue.
“Look Devil,” I said instead, “I am a bit pre-occupied with building stuff at the moment. It won’t be forever. To be honest, I would rather write nothing about you than crap. If I write rubbish, that won’t help your cause either. You do understand, don’t you?”
He looked at me for a while. I could tell it made sense to him but he was in a bind. He needed to go back to the rest of the Dedes with a more positive answer.
“Okay” he said at last. “I have an idea. Let’s have a week of ‘tag-a-Dede'”
“What is that?” I asked.
“You ask a Dede of your choice 5 questions and the Dede has to answer it as honestly as possible! That would mean we are running the show and you don’t have anything to do with it. Mouse can help us putting the answers up on the blog. She is good at that.”
“That is such a brilliant idea!” I could have hugged Devil but he is not the huggy type. I was so relieved he came up with a solution that meant less work for me for a change.
‘I can make a start and tag Witch tomorrow. I always wanted to ask the old girl a few things.” Devil was really excited about his idea. “I have to come up with 5 really good questions. Maybe some of our readers want to help me! So if you have a question for Witch, our health freak, let me know.”













