The pews of St. John’s Episcopal Church were filled with young children, each dressed in white and navy blue with patches depicting eagles over each of their hearts. These were the students of the church’s attached day school—or, at least, the ones in grades one through four.
Some of the middle schoolers from the other campus had a surprise in store for the kids.
In the pew taken by half of Mrs. Lowell’s third grade class sat Kate Newman, a diminutive girl with wispy blond hair pulled back with a blue ribbon. She had a Hymnal open on her lap, despite the service being over.
Her friend tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up, then screamed.
What she saw immediately were fully four puppets: a fuzzy yellow thing at the lecturn, narrating in a hoarse voice, a camel wearing a coat that was half red, half blue, and two others.
She ran outside, refusing to look towards the front of the church.
When asked later, she told her teacher, “Puppets are really scary.”