sail past all the grasping hands, floodlights white and hot

And it'll be better once there's someone to cast as the doll other than the mannequins you've made. The statue creaks and the slightly off-key harp music swells, thin strings of shadow thread themselves around limbs stuffed with straw, and you lean forward in your seat even though you've already seen this one a dozen times more than all the others; this is the ending you want. The stage is almost set. Charlie takes the opportunity to enjoy being in the audience for once.