After the Show

Based on the fave “Just Chillin’.”

 Carlie opened the door, smiling big.  Nobody knew, none of her friends could even guess.  It was all hers now, nobody else’s.

 It had all started a couple of hours ago, her friends and her going to see a magic show.  Jess, especially, knew of her fondness for magic, and thought it would be something she’d like.  But Carlie had watched hundreds of so-called magic shows.  She knew the routines, knew the effects, but still couldn’t help but pay special attention to some of her favorite illusions.

 But this one was different.  For some reason, Carlie couldn’t see where he was hiding so many things, producing things from midair, penetrating, tearing and restoring objects and small animals.  She couldn’t tell.

 Then the end came. “For my final trick, I need a volunteer from the audience.”

 Okay, that was new.  Usually it was some big, flashy illusions with obviously shapely assistants, not audience volunteers.

 The house lights came up and Jess jumped up and down in her seat. “Over here.  Carlie wants to volunteer.”

 She could’ve hit Jess then.  By her nature, Carlie was an introvert, not one to draw attention to herself, but the magician came over and, somehow, knew who she was.  As he led Carlie back up to the stage, her eyes widened as a table came out with one band across the middle and a smaller band close to the end.  As the assistant opened them, Carlie saw they were separated, both of them.

 The magician asked if Carlie knew what it was about. “Uh, sawing in half and beheading?”

 The magician laughed. “Well, you’re kind of right, but we don’t use saws.”

 She waited for a moment before the magician invited her to lay on the table.

 To say that Carlie was nervous would be an understatement.  As she reclined, she didn’t have any idea what would happen.  There were no obvious concealments in the table, no place for her to slip in to avoid whatever was going to happen to her.  What was happening?

 As the magician and his assistant fastened the bands back around Carlie’s body and neck, she gulped.  Whatever was going to happen, she knew, was going to be all for real.

 Carlie tried to steady herself as the assistant gave the magician a large scimitar with a sparkling razor edge on it.  There was no doubt now.  She almost shouted for him to stop before he slid the blade into the band at her waist.

 She had to admit, it didn’t hurt, nowhere near as bad as she thought it would.  She could feel the blade sliding into her, a bit at a time, feel it progressing through her waist.  As it did so, she felt such a rush of good feelings, something she could never expect, something that made no sense at all.

 She was being cut in two, she should be bleeding and screaming in pain, but there was no blood at all.  She breathed deeply, moaning as she did so, as he reached halfway through her, the intensity of the good feelings coming through even more.

 As he started cutting into her spine, Carlie smiled.  It didn’t take long for these incredibly good feelings to culminate before she felt the blade completely sever her halves.

 It felt so good, so nice, being in pieces, but, when he wheeled her halves apart, it felt incredible.

 As he brought the blade to her neck, all Carlie could do was nod and smile. “Please.”

 As her head came off, again wheeled away, Carlie mentioned that she’d like to ask the magician for a favor if he could.

 And he said he would.  Even as he wheeled her parts back together and let her up, Carlie knew it.  She could feel it.

 As she got into her night clothes, she knew it was time.

 She sat down, then pushed on the arms of the chair until she heard a faint pop.

 As her halves came clean apart again, Carlie settled her top half down, somehow able to move almost naturally as two halves, before getting the remote and turning on a late-night show.

 Yes, she knew she could take off her head at will too, but, for now, this was fine.