Puppet Government

A reclusive artisan who revives the nearly lost craft of hand-carved puppets is repeatedly courted by government officials seeking to recruit him into a prestigious departmental post. He resists their offers, insisting on the freedom and solitude his work provides while struggling with mounting paperwork, fatigue, and intrusive annual visits. Negotiations expose bureaucratic pressures, veiled threats to his livelihood, and promises of prestige that conflict with his desire for autonomy. The narrative alternates between formal interviews and the artisan's interior reflections, exploring tensions between creative labor and institutional control without resolving the impasse.