Havenwood, OR – A seemingly innocuous children’s puppet show held in the Havenwood Community Center last night took a dramatically unsettling turn, culminating in what authorities are calling a “localized animated anomaly” and prompting a full-scale investigation. The show, featuring a marionette production of “The Little Prince” directed by local artist Silas Blackwood, rapidly devolved into a terrifying, self-animated spectacle involving grotesque puppets and a shifting, nightmarish landscape.

Witnesses report that the event began as expected, with Blackwood’s troupe performing the familiar tale. However, approximately fifteen minutes into the performance, the puppets began to move independently, their movements becoming increasingly erratic and aggressive. The backdrop, initially depicting a serene desert landscape, warped and twisted, populated by distorted versions of the characters. The puppets themselves began to exhibit exaggerated features and unsettling expressions, their voices shifting into a chorus of guttural whispers.

“It was… wrong,” stated Martha Higgins, a mother who attended the show with her two children. “The Prince’s puppet just… *stared* at me. And then its eyes started glowing. It wasn’t a performance anymore. It was something else entirely.”

Local law enforcement responded quickly, establishing a perimeter around the Community Center. Initial attempts to stop the animation were unsuccessful; any attempts to physically interact with the puppets resulted in the animation intensifying. Police Chief David Miller stated, “We’ve never encountered anything like this. Our standard protocols simply don’t cover ‘animated nightmares.’”

Adding to the mystery, several attendees reported experiencing vivid, unsettling dreams immediately following the performance. Silas Blackwood, visibly shaken, offered a brief statement: “I… I don’t understand. I just wanted to tell a story. I used a new pigment, a deep ultramarine, and maybe… maybe it reacted in an unforeseen way.”

The Department of Anomalous Phenomena has dispatched a specialized team to investigate, led by Dr. Evelyn Reed, a leading expert in unexplained visual phenomena. Dr. Reed’s initial assessment suggests a possible link between the pigment and the animation, but she cautioned against premature conclusions. “We need to analyze the pigment’s molecular structure and determine if it possesses any unusual properties that could trigger such a reaction,” she explained. The Community Center remains closed to the public as the investigation continues.