Chapter Five

Claude and Dan maintained a steady, rhythmic cadence, the saw gliding through the box with an almost hypnotic motion. The insistent zzzzzt-zzzzzt of the blade cutting through the wood echoed softly through the room, mixing with the hushed anticipation of the audience. Milly lay perfectly still, her eyes wide but her body oddly calm. The warm, tingling glow that had started in her midsection was spreading now, creating a sensation that was both strange and comforting. It felt like a gentle wave of heat radiating through her core, like basking in sunlight on a cool day, dissolving any sense of pain or distress.

“Almost there…” Claude murmured softly, his voice filled with practiced assurance.

Dan’s brow furrowed slightly as he felt a subtle change in resistance from the saw blade. “Uh… Claude?” Dan said, his voice slightly uncertain. “It’s… feeling a little harder now.”

Claude’s eyes sparkled with amusement as he glanced down at the saw. “Ah… bien sûr,” he said with a dramatic flourish. “We are now…” He paused for effect, looking out at the audience with a mischievous grin. “…sawing through her spine.”

A collective gasp echoed through the crowd, followed by murmurs of awe and disbelief. Milly’s heart skipped a beat at the words, but all she felt was that same growing, glowing warmth, a spreading numbness. Sawing through my spine? she thought, her mind racing but her body feeling… completely normal.

Dan’s hands gripped the saw a little tighter, his knuckles whitening slightly as he glanced down at Milly’s serene face. “Uh… you sure about this, Claude?” Dan murmured under his breath.

Claude gave him a reassuring wink. “Trust the magic, mon ami,” he whispered with a grin. “She is… impeccably fine.”

Dan nodded, exhaling slowly as he resumed the sawing motion. The resistance increased for a moment as the blade passed through what should have been solid bone… but then, just like before, the saw glided effortlessly through.

“Et… voilà!” Claude announced triumphantly, his voice ringing out as the saw finally completed its journey, slicing the box—and Milly—cleanly in two. The two halves of the box, now visibly separated, could be seen with the gleaming blade still embedded between them.

The audience erupted into a symphony of gasps and applause, a wave of astonished murmurs sweeping through the room. Milly, though still feeling that strange, comforting warmth, couldn’t help but be amazed. She was undeniably in two pieces. Her upper half, from the waist up, was still firmly in one section of the box, her head in the neck stock. But her lower half, her legs and hips, were now clearly detached, resting in the other section of the box, a clear, visible gap between them.

Stephanie, ever efficient, stepped forward carrying a sleek, silver tablet. She moved with precise, almost clinical movements, first to Milly's upper half, then to her lower half. A small, almost invisible laser beam shot from the tablet, scanning Milly's divided form. Stephanie's brow furrowed in concentration as numbers and diagrams flashed across her screen. "Upper torso: 27.00 inches," she murmured, then moved to the lower half. "Lower body: 26.98 inches." She nodded, a faint, almost imperceptible smile of professional satisfaction. "A deviation of only 0.02 inches. Quite precise, Claude."

Claude, beaming, gently took the saw from Dan’s still-trembling hands. “Indeed, Dan,” he said, his voice smooth and theatrical. “And now, for the grand finale!”

With a dramatic flourish, Claude stepped to the side of the box. He placed his hands on the two halves, one on each side of the saw blade. The audience held its breath, a collective silence falling over the room. Milly felt a subtle shift, a faint magnetic pull at her midsection. The glowing warmth intensified, a gentle hum resonating through her core.

Then, with a confident, almost imperceptible push, Claude began to slide the two halves of the box apart. Slowly, deliberately, the gap between Milly’s upper and lower body widened, revealing the clean, impossible cut. The audience gasped, their eyes wide with disbelief as Milly’s two halves floated slightly, suspended in mid-air, a testament to Claude’s mastery. Milly herself felt a strange sense of detachment, as if her body was merely a collection of parts, yet her consciousness remained singular, whole. It was a bizarre, exhilarating sensation.

Claude then, with another graceful movement, began to push the two halves back together. The glowing warmth in Milly’s midsection intensified, a soft, almost audible hiss seemed to accompany the rejoining. She felt a subtle pressure, like two magnets drawing together, and then—a gentle click. The two halves of her body, impossibly, seamlessly reconnected. The saw, still embedded, now appeared to pass through a perfectly whole Milly.

“Voila!” Claude exclaimed, pulling the saw free with a flourish. The blade slid out cleanly, revealing Milly’s perfectly restored form, not a scratch or mark on her skin. He then closed the side panels of the box, and with another quick movement, released the neck and ankle stocks.

Milly sat up, a wide, genuine smile spreading across her face. She felt… completely normal. More than normal. Invigorated. She swung her legs over the side of the box, her feet finding the stage floor. She wiggled her toes, then flexed her arms, feeling every part of her body perfectly intact.

“Unbelievable!” she breathed, looking at Claude with wide, astonished eyes. “How… how did you do that?!”

Claude merely winked, offering her a hand. “Ah, ma chérie,” he said, his voice filled with delightful anticipation. “That, my dear, is the magic.” He helped her gracefully out of the box.

The audience erupted into thunderous applause, a standing ovation. Cheers and whistles filled the room as Claude took a triumphant bow, gesturing toward Milly. She curtsied playfully, her heart still thrumming with the afterglow of the impossible.

Stephanie stepped forward, a small, satisfied smile on her lips. “A magnificent start, Claude,” she said, her voice smooth. “And a truly captivating performance, Milly.”