Dad, look what I made.
I call it the Robot Artifact Handler, or RAH for short.
RAH will allow us to move cursed artifacts without touching them.
Don't want to accidentally activate another one,
especially after the Die Block nightmare.
Smart. I've just been using these.
That works too.
Dad! Come look.
You okay?
Fine.
No, that's what the old Alex would say.
I'm worried.
First the blackouts.
Now my connection to the briar is getting weaker.
Did I hear your connection with the briar is getting weaker?
Yes. Ever since Istanbul.
I need to show you something.
It looks like it's been chewed.
That was also my conclusion.
If something gnawed chunks out of this briar,
it must have strong teeth.
I knew a buccaneer with ironwood choppers.
Roddy Strongtooth.
Saw him bite straight through a cannon.
Good man.
It's trying to tell me something,
but the connection is too weak for me to fully understand it.
Smells like sabotage.
Everything smells like sabotage to you.
However, in this case,
I am inclined to agree.
But who would do this? And why?
And the mystery of the Restricted Wing deepens.
Russ, let's look through Cornelius's journals.
Larry, Stanley,
check the briar for other chewed sections.
We will get to the bottom of this.
All the research I did on Cornelius's loot,
I never thought to look into the briar itself.
Well, it has been helping us.
What if someone doesn't want that to happen anymore?
Maybe there's a curse someone doesn't want us to break.
I'll check on Larry and Stanley.
RAH?
Where's the remote?
Dad! Larry?
Stanley? Anyone?
Hey! Stop it.
Russ, are you okay?
Why aren't you saying anything?
It appears he can't.
Hey, let go of my son.
I leave for one minute.
How did this happen?
It appears as though Horus made contact with a cursed puppet.
And now he's the puppet's puppet.
- Alex, look out! - What in the--
What's up, Big Cheese Curator Vanderhouven?
I'm done for the day.
"Big Cheese Curator Vanderhouven," huh? I like it.
I think I'm going to put that on my business card.
How's my favorite youth docent?
Awesome. I spent the whole day in storage.
It's basically the Restricted Wing without curses.
There is so much cool and creepy stuff down there.
Well, you can help me by taking the staff down there too.
No more room in the exhibit.
Good afternoon, Pandora.
Sky, could I have a word?
As you know, we had a break-in at the museum.
Yes. So awful.
Any news on if anything was taken?
We're still trying to get to the bottom of that.
We need to know what everyone was doing at these times.
Please account for your whereabouts as precisely as you're able.
Am I a suspect?
We're just covering all our bases.
I'm so sorry.
Hey, Alex. I can't really talk right now.
What?
Russ. Oh, no.
We've tried everything. We can't get the puppet off him.
Hey, Puppet, let go of my brother!
I'm not gonna hurt you, Puppet.
Jaipur, India.
I think he's trying to tell us where to return the artifact.
India's a long haul for some people,
but me and Rufus are gonna get you there like that.
That's because you're the best.
What do we know about the artifact?
It was made by a puppeteer from the Indian state of Rajasthan.
When he died, his skills apparently lived on in this puppet.
It's a puppet and a puppeteer at the same time?
Mind blown.
"Kahaani Puppet Theater."
This must be where the puppet wanted Russ to bring him.
You got what you wanted, Puppet. Now release my brother.
What if this place is abandoned?
Will Russ be a puppet forever?
Of course not.
Don't scare him.
I can't see anything. It's dark.
Oh, boy. Where's Russ?
Mom, look out!
What was that?
So many unused tickets.
I guess that's why they shut down, huh?
Russ!
- Alex! - Dad!
That was very good. More! More!
Where did you come from?
This is our theater.
I should be asking you that question,
seeing as you're the ones breaking in to put on a puppet show.
A very good puppet show.
I am so sorry.
We mean no harm.
We're the Vanderhouvens.
We're here because-- Well, it's a long story.
Fantastic. Why don't you tell me while I call the authorities
- and let them know? - Mama, no! I like this show.
This puppeteer is very good. See?
Where did you get this puppet?
It was in my ancestor's collection.
Do you recognize it?
Yes. It was in my ancestor's collection.
Give me the puppet, please.
Mama, stop ruining the show.
Muskaan, hold on one minute.
What is going on here?
We recently discovered our family home contains
some artifacts that were acquired questionably long ago.
We've been returning them.
You broke in to return our puppet,
but your son won't give it to me?
He can't.
It's cursed.
Cursed? Are you mad?
I wish we were.
I understand how difficult it is
to believe what we're saying, but I assure you.
Trust me.
Just give me that puppet and get out of my theater. Please.
Now do you believe us?
I'll never get tired of that view.
Sunrise, green grass, sinister-looking fellow.
Hold a sec.
Listen up, you walnuts. We have a situation on our hands.
We have a situation.
I saw a spy outside and he was spying on our house.
Perhaps he's connected to the strange goings-on down here.
That something's chewing the briar.
Parkour!
Where did it go?
It appears we are under attack from both the outside and the inside.
But fear not.
With the three of us on patrol, we will get to the bottom of it.
He forced Russ to bring him here, and that's when you found us.
But we've got a good curse-breaking track record.
We're gonna make this right.
What can you tell us about this puppet?
I grew up hearing stories about this puppet.
It was made by my ancestor, Mala Ram Bhat.
He was a puppeteer, not a wizard.
"Mala Ram was one of the greatest puppeteers of his time.
In his youth, he traveled the world performing for kings and queens.
As Mala Ram got older, he settled in his village,
where he started the Kahaani Puppet Theater
to pass on his skills to younger generations.
The theater has been family-run since then and always will be."
That last part isn't true anymore.
I tried to keep this place open, but business has been rough.
I shut it down last month.
Muskaan's not taking it well.
Raja Puppet was Mala Ramji's favorite,
until one of my ancestors sold him.
I wonder why the puppet was sold.
I don't know.
Maybe you can find more information in the storage room downstairs.
That's where our family correspondence is kept.
It's not organized, mind you.
Luckily, we have experience sorting through disorganized rooms.
Just point us in the right direction.
It's that door down the hall.
Pandora, are you okay?
Yeah.
And I found the letters.
They're all in-- Is this Hindi?
Yeah, it is.
We should bring these upstairs so Dipika can translate.
We can't bring all of them.
What are we even looking for?
Not sure.
Let's look through these.
Maybe we'll know when we see it.
Muskaan, you look tired.
Why don't you lie down for a bit?
No, I do not want to sleep. I want to watch the show.
The show will be here when you get back.
But I'm not sleepy.
Nonsense. I can see your eyes drooping.
We need to get you to bed right away.
The puppet seems desperate to keep his audience.
He's completely focused on Muskaan.
Russ, I have an idea.
Hey, I found something.
This is Cornelius's signature.
I've seen it in his journals.
Dad?
How exciting.
I cannot take a nap now, not with all of this happening.
Hello?
The music's too loud.
They can't hear me.
Maybe they'll hear this.
What's that noise?
Drums.
From the storage room.
Pandora and Alex.
Who locked the door?
Where's Dad?
He's not with you?
I was sleeping when I heard footsteps and I found him.
Want me to bring him back to you?
Okay. I'll wait to hear from you.
Dad's with Margie at the plane.
- What? How? - I don't know.
These blackouts are becoming a real problem, but one problem at a time.
Dipika, I found this in the storage room.
Can you translate it?
This was written in 1901.
It says, "To my father, I'm writing because I can't face you in person.
I appreciate all you and Ma have done for me.
And I know Mala Ramji blessed this puppet with his gifts.
I felt it when I held its strings.
But I don't want to be a puppeteer or take over the theater.
I sold Raja Puppet to an American,
Vanderhouven, who is passionate about the art.
The bill of sale is enclosed.
I am using his money to pay for a train ticket.
I'll write when I'm settled.
I hope one day you can forgive me.
Until then, your son, Viraj."
Who is Viraj?
My great-great-grandfather.
I had no idea he was the one who sold off the puppet to your ancestor.
That might explain the curse.
Raja Puppet made us bring him back here so he could perform again.
Continue the tradition Viraj rejected.
I think the only way to break this curse is to keep the theater open.
It's what Mala Ramji wanted.
I'm selfish for walking away from it.
All right, Mala Ramji.
I'll keep the theater open.
Now let the boy go.
Mama!
I'm okay, Muskaan.
It's just a show.
I don't understand.
I said I'll keep the theater open.
There's got to be a way to satiate the puppet.
What else do you know about Mala Ramji?
All I ever heard was that he was a great puppeteer who loved the art.
He doesn't seem like the cursing type.
That's why none of this makes sense.
Hold on.
This says Mala Ramji blessed the puppet with his gifts.
Viraj felt it in the strings.
But he rejected the blessing by selling the puppet to Cornelius.
And then it hung in the Restricted Wing for years without anyone using it.
Mala Ramji's love of puppetry had nowhere to go.
And that must be how the blessing festered into a curse.
I don't get it.
Mala Ramji wanted to pass his love of puppetry to his family.
I'm trying to accept it, but the puppet won't listen to me.
Then we'll make it listen.
Puppet, this ends now.
Go, Mom! Go!
This is better than television.
Hey, be careful.
That was not nice.
No. Muskaan, stand back.
Mama, why are you so worried?
It's just a show.
This was the greatest show ever.
Mama, I know you don't want to be a puppeteer, but I do.
I'm free.
I can talk again.
Bummer. I was enjoying the silence.
Just kidding.
Welcome back, Horus.
It's not controlling her.
How?
I think Muskaan broke the curse.
Because she enjoys puppetry.
She wants to carry on the tradition.
It was never about the theater.
Mala Ramji didn't intend to force anyone to follow in his footsteps.
Well, he didn't intend to, but I was definitely forced into them.
Mama, can we take the puppet with us to the city when we move?
I want to be a puppeteer like Mala Ramji.
Sure, beti.
But right now, I think it's time for bed.
Thank you for bringing this home.
Sorry it caused so much trouble.
It's not your fault.
Family stuff can be tough.
True.
I suppose we all have family legacies to reconcile.
And new ones to create.
Yeah, for real.
I'm going to figure out what's happening to me.
If it's the chewed briar causing the blackouts or--
I won't rest until I crack it.
I'm sorry. I can't believe this keeps happening.
I'm horrified.
I know you are, Alex.
We're all just worried about you.
So am I.
Must keep watch.
Just need to rest my eyes.