Daniel read aloud. “The illusion allows an assistant to become fully poseable, like a marionette or ventriloquist dummy. The magician—or a partner—can manipulate their movements, making it seem like they’re completely under someone else’s control.”
Elizabeth practically bounced in place. “That sounds amazing!”
Veronica raised an eyebrow. “You want to be turned into a puppet?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Why not? It’s just another illusion, right?” She smirked at Veronica. “Besides, you were the one enjoying those restraints earlier.”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “That was different.”
Daniel continued. “The instructions say the assistant needs to sit in the special chair, which will ‘prepare them for the act.’” He glanced up. “There should be a chair around here somewhere.”
The three of them looked around the storage unit until Elizabeth spotted an ornate wooden chair tucked behind some props. “Found it!”
She eagerly sat down, feeling an odd tingle as she placed her hands on the armrests. The chair had old-fashioned carvings, almost like something out of a magician’s stage set from a century ago.
Daniel read further. “Alright, now I just need to secure the straps—”
“Wait, straps?” Veronica interrupted.
Elizabeth tilted her head. “Well, it is a magician’s chair. They probably need to keep me still while the trick works.”
Daniel fastened the leather straps over Elizabeth’s wrists and ankles, then stepped back. “Alright.
Now, let’s see…” He traced his finger over the next step in the book. “Once the assistant is secured, the magician taps the chair three times and says the activation phrase: ‘The strings of fate are now in place.’”
He tapped the chair. “The strings of fate are now in place.”
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then Elizabeth gasped. A shiver ran through her entire body, and suddenly, she felt light. Her arms and legs went limp, like they had lost their natural weight. She tried to move, but instead of responding normally, her limbs flopped unnaturally, as if she had no control.
“Ohhh, that feels weird,” Elizabeth murmured, her voice dreamy.
Daniel unfastened the straps. “Try standing up.”
Elizabeth attempted to push herself up, but instead of rising smoothly, she jerked into a standing position, like a puppet being yanked by unseen strings. Her head lolled slightly, and her arms hung loosely until Daniel gently lifted one. As soon as he let go, her arm flopped back down.
Veronica blinked. “You look like—”
“A doll,” Elizabeth finished, her voice laced with amusement. “I love it!”
Daniel grinned. “Looks like I can move you, too.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, guiding her into a stiff marching motion. Elizabeth’s feet lifted and dropped in exaggerated, toy-like steps, her joints bending in exaggerated ways.
Veronica pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, that’s just unsettling.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Oh, come on, lighten up—” She tried to gesture but ended up flailing as her arm swung too far.
Daniel smirked. “Now, let’s see if I can make you talk like a real dummy.”
Veronica groaned. “Please don’t.”
But Daniel was already reading the next step.
Daniel rummaged through the props near the chair, and his eyes widened as he pulled out a wooden marionette controller—complete with strings dangling from it. The strings didn’t seem attached to anything, yet as he lifted the controller, they extended downward as if waiting to connect to something.
“Okay, this is cool,” Daniel said, turning the book toward Veronica. “It says here that the strings will automatically link to Elizabeth once I use the controller.”
Veronica frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Elizabeth, still feeling weightless, giggled. “Like anything we’ve done tonight makes sense?” She wobbled slightly as she attempted to shift her weight.
Daniel smirked and lifted the controller. The moment he did, thin, glowing threads extended from the wooden crossbar, drifting toward Elizabeth. As soon as they touched her wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles, she felt an odd tug—like invisible hands were supporting her.
“Ohhh,” Elizabeth gasped, her arms rising as if an unseen puppeteer was controlling them. “That’s
so strange! I can feel the strings, but they don’t hurt. It’s like… I want to move where they pull me.”
Daniel gently lifted the controller’s crossbar, and Elizabeth immediately stood up straighter. When he tilted it forward, she took a step. A small flick of his wrist, and she raised one arm in a graceful, dancer-like motion.
Veronica crossed her arms. “This is equal parts fascinating and creepy.”
Daniel grinned. “Oh, come on, tell me this isn’t the coolest illusion we’ve found so far.”
Elizabeth giggled as Daniel experimented, making her bow, spin, and even perform a little puppet-style wave. “I feel like an actual living doll!” she said, grinning. “It’s like I could move on my own, but it’s easier to follow the strings.”
Veronica sighed. “Alright, alright. I guess it’s cool. But how do you undo it?”
Daniel flipped to the next page. “Let’s see… Ah! I just need to place the controller back on the chair and say the deactivation phrase: The strings are cut, the act is done.”
He guided Elizabeth back to the chair, set the controller down, and spoke the words.
Immediately, the glowing strings dissolved, and Elizabeth staggered slightly as full control returned to her body. “Whoa—okay, that was a trip.” She stretched her arms, grinning. “I definitely want to try that again sometime.”
Veronica gave her a flat look. “You enjoyed that way too much.”
Elizabeth smirked. “Oh, come on. You should totally try it.”
Veronica took one step back. “Nope.”
Daniel chuckled. “We’ll see about that.” He glanced at the book again. “Alright, let’s see what else we’ve got…”
Chapter Seventeen: Spilt switch and back again.
Chapter Sixteen: The Heist goes wrong, oh my.
Chapter Fifteen: Preparing for the Heist
Chapter Fourteen: Introducing The Transposition Trick
Chapter Thirteen: Stretching, Spikes and Shackles.
Chapter Twelve: Blades and Misalignment
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