Daniel chuckled and gestured toward a tall, ornate cabinet against the wall. It was beautifully crafted, with gilded edges and intricate carvings of swirling patterns along the sides. The cabinet had several sliding panels and a set of long, polished blades resting on a nearby table.
Elizabeth’s eyes gleamed. “Now this is a magician’s prop.”
She stepped forward and ran her fingers along the smooth wood, admiring the craftsmanship. The front panel had multiple doors, each designed to open separately. There were narrow slots for the blades to pass through, ensuring no room for escape.
Daniel read aloud from the book. “Once the assistant enters the cabinet, the magician will insert the blades, dividing the sections. Then, with a flourish, the center compartments slide apart, leaving only the head, hands, and feet visible.”
Elizabeth turned to Veronica with an excited grin. “See? Perfectly safe.”
Veronica crossed her arms. “That’s what you said last time.”
Elizabeth ignored her skepticism and stepped into the cabinet. “Alright, let’s do this.”
Daniel nodded and began following the book’s instructions. He secured the doors, locking Elizabeth inside. “Ready?”
Elizabeth wiggled her fingers through the hand holes. “Always.”
Daniel lifted the first blade and, with a bit of hesitation, slid it through the first slot, right at Elizabeth’s waist.
She gasped dramatically. “Oh no! I’m cut in half!”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
Daniel inserted the second and third blades, each one sliding through smoothly. With the final one in place, he followed the next step: he gripped the middle sections of the cabinet and gently pulled them apart.
The cabinet split.
Elizabeth’s upper and lower body were now visibly separate, with only her head, hands, and feet proving she was still there.
Her fingers wiggled. Her feet flexed.
She giggled. “This is so weird! I feel totally fine, but I can see that I’m in pieces!”
Daniel flipped a page. “And now for the reveal…”
He pressed a hidden mechanism on the cabinet’s side. With a smooth motion, the middle section rotated, turning Elizabeth’s torso completely sideways while her head and feet remained in place.
Elizabeth let out a delighted squeal. “This is amazing! I feel all twisty, but not in a bad way.”
Veronica arched an eyebrow. “Are we sure this isn’t just another trick that we can’t undo?”
Daniel glanced at the notes. “Well, there’s a section on… reassembly issues—”
Veronica groaned. “Of course there is.”
Elizabeth, ever the performer, waved dramatically. “Don’t worry! The show must go on!”
Daniel chuckled nervously and read further. He just hoped this one wouldn’t require another week of problem-solving before putting Elizabeth back together…
Daniel skimmed the book’s notes, his eyes narrowing as he reached the Troubleshooting section.
"Warning: Ensure the assistant is fully aligned before reassembly. Failure to do so may result in... unintended asymmetry."
He swallowed. Unintended asymmetry?
Veronica, noticing his expression, crossed her arms. “What now?”
Elizabeth, still cheerfully wiggling her fingers and toes from separate sections, grinned. “Oh, is this where I grow an extra arm? Or maybe my head ends up where my foot should be?”
Daniel exhaled. “Uh, not quite. But it does say if the pieces aren’t properly realigned before removing the blades, you might end up… offset.”
Elizabeth blinked. “Offset?”
Daniel hesitated, then turned the book around. There was an illustration of a very confused assistant whose top half was slightly to the left while their bottom half was slightly to the right.
Elizabeth giggled. “Oh, so I could end up a little… sideways?”
Veronica sighed. “Great. She’s enjoying this.”
Daniel looked at the mechanism that had rotated Elizabeth’s torso. “Alright, I just need to make sure everything is back in perfect alignment before removing the blades.”
Elizabeth, still cheerful, gave a thumbs-up. “I trust you, magic man.”
Daniel carefully started rotating the central sections back into place. He lined up the edges, making sure they were exactly how they had been before the separation.
But then—click.
His hand slipped.
The cabinet shuddered.
The alignment was slightly off.
Veronica tensed. “What was that?”
Elizabeth, still separated, wiggled her fingers. “Uh… I think I’m fine?”
Daniel, now sweating, muttered under his breath as he frantically checked the book. “Okay, okay… if the alignment is wrong before the final step…”
He reached for the release lever.
Veronica took a step back. “Daniel, are you sure about this?”
He pulled the lever. The cabinet slid back together.
The blades slid out.
The doors unlocked.
Elizabeth stepped forward.
Or at least… most of her did.*
Her entire torso was shifted an inch to the right while her hips and legs remained in their original position.
She gasped, looking down at herself. “Whoa. This feels really weird.”
Daniel’s jaw dropped. “Oh no.”
Veronica rubbed her temples. “I knew this would happen.”
Elizabeth twisted slightly, trying to adjust. “Huh. I mean… it’s not bad—I still feel fine! Just a little… misaligned.” She took a step, and her whole body moved with a strange, unnatural fluidity.
“Actually… this is kind of fun!”
Daniel flipped through the book again, searching for the fix. “Okay, okay… don’t panic. There’s a way to properly realign you.”
Elizabeth smirked. “Or, hear me out—we keep me like this and use it for a really cool stage effect.”
Veronica groaned. “Can we please just fix you before you start thinking you can live like this?”
Daniel ran his finger down the troubleshooting section, reading aloud.
“To restore an assistant suffering from misalignment, there are two recommended methods.”
Elizabeth perked up. “Oh, do tell.”
Daniel sighed. “One, we use something called The Amazing Stretched Woman. It involves placing you in another contraption that stretches you just enough to pull everything back into perfect alignment.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “That sounds fun.”
Veronica crossed her arms. “And the second option?”
Daniel hesitated before continuing. “The Flattened Lady Trick.”
Elizabeth’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I liked that one! That’s the one where I turn into a disc, right?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah, according to this, if we flatten you and then re-inflate you in the restoration chamber, your body should naturally correct itself on the way back.”
Veronica sighed. “So, our options are stretching you out like a human rubber band or squishing you like a pancake and puffing you back up?”
Elizabeth tapped her chin, pretending to ponder. “Hmm. Both sound delightful.”
Daniel looked between the two options. “Well, Elizabeth, since you’re the one who’s… uh… wonky right now, I think you get to pick.”
Elizabeth wiggled her fingers and twisted her misaligned torso playfully. “I do like the idea of being all bendy and stretchy. But I also loved being as light as a feather when I was a disc.”
She spun toward Veronica with a grin. “What do you think, Veronica? Stretchy or squishy?”
Veronica groaned. “Why do I even entertain these conversations?”
Daniel smirked. “Because deep down, you’re enjoying this just as much as we are.”
Veronica muttered under her breath, but they all knew she wasn’t denying it.
Elizabeth clapped her hands together. “Alright! I’ve made my decision!”
She turned to Daniel dramatically. “I choose…”
Chapter Eleven: Veronica finds her suit
Chapter Ten: The Lockup. Veronica gets a glow up
Chapter Nine: Compacting Veronica
Chapter Eight: Pancakes and inflating balloons
Chapter Seven: But wait, there's more!
Chapter Four: One becomes two, two become one