The Puppeteer
Recounting Odyssey of the Mind
Female Victor Frankenstein stared back at me with bloodshot eyes. Body parts were splayed across the dining table. I looked away from the mirror.
It was 2 a.m. and the surgery was only half-complete. Pliers in hand, I continued dissecting and reassembling the umbrella's skeleton. Theoretically, if I reduced the number of prongs but retained the spring, I should be able to —
A click resounded. Apprehensively, I pulled the lever backwards. The wings retracted. I let go. The wings returned to rest. I'd done it. I'd successfully created the wing mechanism for my puppet bird.
I let out an exhausted but satisfied sigh. It was time for bed; Odyssey of the Mind rehearsal was until 8 p.m. later today.
Reaching for the lights, I caught another glimpse in the mirror. This time, an equally dazed pair of ping-pong-ball eyeballs gazed at me from the opposite end of the table, waiting to blink.
Participating in Odyssey of the Mind threw me from behind the drawing board into the limelight. Our 6-member team wrote, choreographed and performed an 8-minute musical. We constructed all costumes, sets and props by hand, within 4 months, under a $125 budget, without outside assistance.
I was the puppeteer of a 40-inch bird I crafted using recycled materials, notably an umbrella, and a luscious blonde wig. During the performance, I simultaneously controlled all mechanisms by my hand (mouth), a trigger (blinking eyes), a lever (flapping wings), and my arm (head), while I sang and squawked in a bird-voice. I also composed and rapped a solo parody of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”, and was my team’s captain, designer, and make-up artist.
Despite being a new team, our divergent thinking, exceptional creativity and synergy won us the ‘Ranatra Fusca’, reserved for teams exhibiting these qualities, and attended world finals at Iowa State University.
