Never Trust a Magician

A tall mysterious stranger wearing a slightly, worn multicolored coat and a tall purple top hat strode into the middle of the town square with a box under his arm catching a few of the townspeople’s eyes, but not stopping them from going about their business.

He put the box down right in the middle of the square, hopped surprisingly nimbly on top, and exclaimed, “Gather round, gather round, for I have a story to tell.”

His exclamation caused some of the townspeople to stop and all of them to look his way.

“Please, please, don’t make me yell for my story will help you all prosper. So, please, please come closer,” implored the stranger. “This is a story that I’m sure will fill you with delight, so please gather quickly while there still is good light.”

I few of the townspeople began to wonder over, and the stranger said, “Thank you, thank you, my story is about the greatest magician from far or near and her remarkable ability to disappear. But, I am getting ahead of myself.”

“It was a warm autumn day,” said the stranger as his voice grew softer bringing the townspeople closer. “I was helping my father bring in our wheat crop, when an old beaten down wagon appeared on the road in the distant. As it got closer, I saw that it was driven by a wizened, old man with a white bushy beard and a long gray robe, and on the side of it written in large faded red letters was Lumiere the Illustrious. I didn’t know what this man was or what an illustrious could be, but I had to find out.”

All the townspeople had now stopped and were gathering around the stranger as he continued, “I begged my parents to let me go, but they were God fearing people and said no. So, that night, in a decision I will always regret, my parents went to sleep, I slipped out of my bedroom window and snuck into town where I found that just about everyone in town had gathered around the wagon and a small little stage lit by town bright lanterns hanging from poles on either end of the stage.”

“I didn’t want anyone to see me, so I shimmied up a nearby tree and found a seat on a large branch. Moments, later the most beautiful woman I have ever seen bust out the back of the wagon in a simple farm dress and onto the stage. She was of an indeterminate age with fiery red hair that seemed to dance in the lamplight and ivory pure skin. I was transfixed as she spun around and it appeared she was consumed in a cloud of sparks and smoke, but when the smoke drifted away, she reappeared in a stunning red dress that clung snuggly to everyone of her delicious curves.”

“The crowd gasped and applauded and she gave them a little smile making her beautiful face even prettier somehow. Then, she spun again and after another cloud of sparks and smoke she appeared again in an immaculate black suit with a large top hat.”

“She bowed then took her top hat off and after waiving her hand over it, a little like this,” said the stranger as he pulled his on hat off and waived his hand over it. “Then, she reached inside,” said the stranger as he did likewise. “And pulled out a brilliant white bunny!”

Some of the townspeople gasped and other applauded as the stranger held the bunny high above his head. Then, he shot them a quick smile and said, “But she was not done. She tossed the bunny into the air, and it turned into a beautiful dove.”

As the bunny turned into a dove and flew over their heads, the townspeople clapped and cheered. The stranger gave them another smile and said, “But she was not done. She walked to the front of the stage and said, ‘I hope no one is afraid of a little fire.’ Then, she threw something at her feet causing a pillar of fire to erupt around her for her instant, but as the flame turned into a whisp of smoke it only revealed the stage. She had vanished.”

“Now this next part I promise is true,” said the stranger as he placed his hand over his heart. “Barely a second later, I heard someone whisper boo nearly causing me to fall from the limb of my tree. I turned to my right and there she was in all of her radiant, ethereal beauty.” 

“I was astounded, befuddled, and transfixed. Then, she smiled an earthshattering smile and said, ‘Get a good grip because I don’t want you to slip.’ Then, she disappeared again leaving only a faint puff of smoke and a whisper of lavender.”

“I looked back at the stage thinking she was there, but then I noticed a small commotion in the crowd. Soon all the townspeople were clapping and cheering, and I saw her fiery red hair head back towards the stage, which she hopped onto with an amazing flip.”

“Then, she turned towards the crowd and after silencing the crowd with a simple waive of her hand said, ‘For my next trick, I need the strongest man in town.’ Our two strongest men who were lifelong enemies started forward with anger in their eyes. Before there could be any discord, she smiled and said, ‘Two strong men are better than one, so please both of you come onto the stage.’ As the men climbed onto to the stage, she said, ‘Now, who is the greatest fighter?’

“Our greatest fighter and leader. A humble giant of a man raised his hand, and she quickly ushered him onto the stage. When all of the men had gathered, she reached into her wagon and pulled out a mighty chain. She had all the men test it, and they swore it was real. Then, she gathered them into a group and wrapped the chain around and around them locking down their arms and binding their legs, so that when she was done they could barely move. I could see the unease on our greatest fighters face, but with one of her amazing smiles, his trepidation melted away.”

“After putting a massive lock on the ends of the chain, she gave the crowds one more of her marvelous smiles, then with a clap of her hands, she and her wagon disappeared in a cloud of smoke.”

“And now you see my friends, if you remember when I told you I’ll always regret leaving my house that fateful night, this is why. A moment after her and her wagon had disappeared I heard want sounded like the clink of metal below me, so I looked down and saw the woods were filled with armed men dressed head to toe in jet black armor.”

“I clung tightly to my tree and did all I could to not make a sound as the men walked under me out of the woods. At first my people did not see them, then I heard a woman cry and I closed my eyes,” said the stranger as he closed his eyes and let the townspeople image what happened.

Eventually, he opened his eyes and said to his rapt audience, “I told you this tell to give you warning. Don’t trust a charismatic stranger because they may be leading you into danger. But, sadly my warning has come too late because your curiosity has sealed your fate.”

Then, an arrow pieced the throat of the biggest man in the crowd, and the stranger pulled a broad sword from his multicolored coat.