Sebastian
a puppet who became a man’s best friend

When Simon walked into the antique shop, he had no idea how this would change his life completely. He discovers a puppet in the back of the shop and takes it home.

Simon, who is an introvert puppeteer who loves music, plays on his recorder and blows life into the puppet. The puppet’s name is Sebastian. The puppeteer and his puppet become good friends and have a close simbiotic relationship.

Karen Vertessen was born on 8/6/1965 to an English mother and a Belgian father in Geel, a small town in Belgium. She has one sister. Their first language was their mother’s language, English. They both learned Dutch at school. Karen lives a sober life with her two dogs and her parrot in Turnhout. She works in a financial company in Turnhout. She started writing short stories in Dutch and since a few years has switched to writing in English. Sebastian is her first novel, currently she is writing her second novel.

The next morning, at home, after feeding the cat and getting himself breakfast, he did a practice run. He wanted to make sure the evening before was just an off day so he held the puppet next to his leg. Suddenly he got this kick on the shin! Wow he must be losing his touch completely. Kick, again, bang on the shin, and it was quite painful at that. This was no good, he needed some tea and some regrouping of the brain and hand coordination.
After tea and some cake, he checked the puppet's dress for the start of the show that evening, and then she kicked him again, completely of her own accord. This was crazy, he put his hand on the doll and felt a sort of current running through him. He drew back his hand, surprised and a bit shaken. ‘Where am I? Who are you?’ Simon heard a distinct little voice in his head. What on earth was happening to him? He could not speak, he was shocked!
‘Well, are you going to answer me or not?’ the voice insisted. ‘Um,’ he said, ‘I’m Simon, and I’m a puppeteer, you're in my house.’
This confused the little fellow no end. ‘Why am I looking like this, what’s with the silly blond hair and the stupid dress?’ Simon was fast beginning to find his wits again.
 ‘But, you are a girl’ he protested, 'you are Cinderella, she is blonde!'
Suddenly the doll sat up straight and with a fierce look in its eye and a reproachful voice said, ‘I am Sebastian, not Cinderella! I am neither a girl nor a boy, I am a tree, in fact I am the heart of a tree!’
Simon was stunned, he decided that he needed another cup of tea, with extra sugar. After these refreshments he went back, and still the doll sat there. ‘Will you take off this silly dress and hair, and I will tell you how I want to look.’