"Let's see," The Magician stared out into the audience. "You, you, sir, and you- oh, and you, if you please, miss. Come up on stage."

The three gentlemen and the lady stepped up as a stagehand wheeled out a red box on a two inch thick glass table. The Magician asked the men's names, then looked to the lady, dressed in stockings, heels, and a short, backless skirt. Her long blonde hair brushed across the chain of flowers tattooed across her right shoulder and the back of her neck. "What is your name, miss?"

Her eyes twinkled. "It's Jennifer, sir."

"No need to be so formal. Now, I'd like all of you to examine this box. Go ahead, look inside." The magician removed one side of the box, and spun it around, letting the audience see the inside, also painted red, was empty, and letting the volunteers get a very close look. "Reach in if you like. It's 30" to a side, and sits on a glass table so you can see there's nothing underneath." He turned to the woman. "Would you like to assist me, Jennifer?"

"Oh, I think I'd make a bad magician's assistant. I'm horrible at following directions."

The Magician smiled. "Don't worry- since you're just a volunteer, there's only one thing you'll need to do."

"And what's that?"

"Climb inside the box."

Jennifer smiled, and slipped out of her heels. She was short and slender, but it was still a tight fit, and took her a bit before she could squeeze into the box. She waved out the open side, and The Magician put the side of the box back on and latched it in place.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, what you probably haven't noticed, but my volunteers did, was that there are evenly spaced slits down the side of this box. Which means the lovely Jennifer is in trouble."

The Magician slid a sword through the first slit, six inches from the end he'd latched in place.
"Eek!" The scream, more playful than scared, came from within.
Slowly he slid the blade down to the bottom before withdrawing it.

"Now, I could slide this sword through each of those slots in turn, but, despite the tight fit, she might be able to maneuver to avoid it. Difficult, but not impossible." Stage hands brought out two blades and handed them to one of the volunteers, John. "Take a look at those, John. They may be powder-coated red, but they're still metal, and very sharp."

The Magician took one of the blades, and placed it at the top of the box, over the slit he'd just run the sword down. "Like I said, there's just a bit of room to maneuver. So I'm going to make the box smaller. And that's why she's in trouble." He slid the blade down the slot, slicing through.

"We've already seen she was able to dodge the sword, so I don't think she needs this part of the box anymore." He unlatched it, and removed the section he'd cut off, handing it to another one of the volunteers surrounding the box on the stage. He left the blade in place as the box's new end.

Blake looked at the section he was handed. It was empty. The Magician took the second blade from John, and positioned it over the top of the box. "Get ready, Jennifer!" He slid the blade down, slicing off another six inches. "I've cut the box down from 24" to 18". Are you okay in there?"

"I'm not sure everything made it!"

The Magician unlatched the next section of the box and handed it to John. He looked inside and took out Jennifer's stockings. "Hold on to those, John. She'll probably want them back." He took the blade from the end he'd given John, leaving him with an empty square. He looked through it out to the audience. The Magician set the blade over the box again.

"We're at 18" of width now. And we're going to make it smaller. I'd say Jennifer's in a lot of trouble." He slid the blade through the next section. Smiling, he unlatched it and handed it to Sam, the last volunteer. "Check that- better make sure we haven't lost any bits of Jennifer.

Sam looked in and showed the audience the contents. "Keep her skirt, Sam, she seems to have lost that too."

He looked at the box on the table, now just 12" wide. Smiling, he picked up the sword, stuck it through the last slit at the top, and slid it downwards to the bottom. From inside the box, there was only silence.

Taking the blade from Sam's section of the box, he positioned it over the place he'd just bisected, then rammed it home. He removed the blade at the end, and unlatched the section, to pull it away and show it empty.

"Our lovely volunteer is now in a box thirty inches high, thirty inches wide, and just six inches deep. Jennifer- you doing okay?"

A small door opened at the top of the box, and Jennifer's hand out reached out, tossing a pair of panties towards The Magician.

"Blake, take her hand. It's really her, right?" Blake nodded.

"And I'm naked! Hehe!" Jennifer called out from inside the box.

"And now Jennifer's really in trouble- because we're being broadcast live, and if I put the box together and let her out- I'll be in trouble!" There was laughter from the audience. "Everyone give a big hand for my volunteers- John, Sam, Blake, and especially for Jennifer!" The audience applauded as the gentlemen left the stage, while a stagehand wheeled the box off, with Jennifer's hand still waving through the door in the top.