Fetish Magician 3: A sleepover - part one


The office phone rang. I answered it, "Hello, Mr Wonder here. How can I help you?" In case you are wondering, 'Mr Wonder' is the stage-name I use for the children's magic shows that are my bread and butter.

"Is that you, Tom?" queried a female voice, which I could not immediately place.

"Yes, I'm Tom. How may I help?"

"I'm Annie, and I'm calling to see if you're available to do a show." Now I knew where I recognised the voice from; she was my assistant from first show as Tom, the fetish magician. She had been there to have an 'interesting experience'; I gather from her friend Hannah that this is a euphemism for an episode of sexual and fetishistic activity to indulged her liking for exhibitionism, bondage and other things I did not know about yet.

"Are you looking for another 'interesting experience'?"

"Not exactly, if you can make it 'interesting' for me that would be great, but it's not about me."

"Do go on!" I prompted.

"The thing is, I've been tapped as chaperone for a sleepover for a niece and a few of her friends; you know, as a favourite aunt, sufficiently trusted by her parents, but liked enough by my niece that my presence won't be too much of a damper on the party."

"Ok?"

"Well, I thought if I organised some entertainment, I would be seen less as an authority figure and it would keep the girls out of mischief. It would also save those endlessly tedious arguments over which DVD to watch. And I could probably join in more than if it devolved to talking about who fancies who at school."

"So, you thought that a children's magician would be just the thing?"

"Exactly. And you could involve me in a trick or two, so I don't get bored."

"I'm sure I can involve you somehow, so when is this?"

"It'll be late evening on the 16th, can you make it? It's only the other side of town from where we did the show together."

A few taps on the computer in front of me, showed me that I could make it any time after seven-thirty, so we confirmed the booking as eight, with the show to start at nine-ish. I then asked what age-group the girls were.

"The youngest is sixteen and the oldest is eighteen," said Annie.

"Hang about, that's not the usual age group I'm set up for; I usually do from four to fourteen years, and at that age will they really be interested?"

"My niece will, she's been interested in magic since I told her about how I was involved in a magic show; Ok, I may have left out some of the more risqué aspects of the show, but still. Of course, I'll be there watching and, I hope, being part of it in places. And if you involve her friends somehow, I'm sure you can get the rest interested, even if they aren't from the start."

"Ok, and how many will there be?"

"There'll be Marie (that's my niece), seven of her girlfriends and me. So, nine in total, give or take one or two, Jenny might not be able to make it, because she doesn't know if she got the part in the play she tried out for and will need to go to rehearsals, if she has, and Marie's still waiting to hear from another girl who is in hospital at the moment. I can get back to you when I know the exact figures."

"That's not necessary, I just needed an idea of how many tricks to bring, because if one gets to be involved in something, they'll all want a go; don't you think?"

"I expect so."

"There are two things, to ask you at this stage," I said. "What level would you like it pitched at, between the innocence of the children's show and the kind of stuff you've already experienced? They would probably consider my kid's show dull, but do you want them to see or participate in the kind of stuff that I put you through and report it back to their parents?"

"Um, good point; I hadn't thought about that." I could almost hear her pondering on the other end of the line. "I think, on the positive side of sexy is what will be most interesting for me and keep them engaged, but gratuitous nudity is probably out."

"I think I get the picture. I had better get about planning how to keep you and your charges amused."

"You wanted to ask a second question?" asked Annie.

"Oh yes, thank you. I know Annie is not your real name, so what would you like me to call you. Don't worry, it was something that Hannah let slip; she seemed to assume that I already knew. I know in everyday life you're Angela."

"To Marie's parents I'm Angela; to Marie, I'm Aunt Ange. I guess, it'll probably be best if you refer to me as Angela." She gave me the address where the sleepover was taking place and promised to get the final head count to me as soon as she knew it.

After a goodbye we hung up.

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The next few weeks were hectic. I sourced, and in some cases repaired, a lot of second-hand illusions from all over.

Meanwhile, Angela kept me updated on the attendance situation and supplied a list of who was who and photos, scavenged from Marie's FaceBook. This gave me a small amount of information to be able to adjust some of the illusions and in one instance inspired me on something to do.

Angela asked if I wanted some form of dress code to be specified. I replied that I could work round most clothing choices, but suggested that she make sure the area where I would be performing was warm enough, because it was possible that the work round was to have the person assist in their bra and panties.

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The day arrived and I was excited. The party I performed for in the early evening had gone well. The drive to Marie's house had gone unexpectedly smoothly, so I arrived about a quarter hour early. This was slightly unfortunate, as Marie's parents seemed to take a dislike to me, despite Angela being there to vouch for me; I think they would have preferred a female entertainer. They told me that I should be out of the house by eleven and the father went to enlist the help of a neighbour to check that my van left by eleven-fifteen. The parents left for a late screening of a movie and to spend the night at a posh hotel, to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

A little discussion with Angela while I moved the equipment to the large room where I would be performing, allowed me to formulate a plan, in case there was some reason I could not wrap up the show in two and a bit hours, less the packing up time. The girls were in another room watching a DVD and drinking fruit juice.

It took a while to set up, arranging all the equipment I had bought and refurbished over the past couple of weeks; I hid them behind the same blue cloth backdrop that I had used for Angela's performance as Annie.

Angela provided me with something to drink and told me that the girls were going to be a few minutes later than planned; it seems that they had been replaying a gruesome scene from the horror movie they were watching. I felt that this boded well, as they did not appear to be afraid of a bit of entertaining dismemberment.

The girls came into the room chattering and settled into the sofas that were already in the room when I arrived. They saw me seated in the back corner of the area I had cleared of furniture. It was obvious from their expressions and the few uncomplimentary words I overheard that they were not impressed; not exactly a surprise as I was still in my Mr Wonder outfit for six-to-eight year olds, which straddles the line between traditional suited magician and clown.

Once all the girls had found a place, I stood and stepped behind the back drop and stepped out the other side moments later in a Jack Sparrow outfit; a kerchief on my head, open necked linen shirt, waistcoat, pantaloons and floppy leather boots. I may not quite have Johnny Depp's striking good looks, dreadlocks or goatee beard, but I thought I did a passable impression. A few of the girls applauded, but I was not sure if it was the quick change, my bared chest or the costume that was being appreciated.

Angela stepped onto the performance area and shushed the girl's before introducing me as their entertainment for next couple of hours, telling them that she was sure that they would be as amazed, as she had been amazed when she had been my assistant for an evening a few months ago.

The reaction was mixed; most excited was Marie, who I recognised from the pictures Angela had sent me.

I started my show with a torn and restored paper routine, but to theme it with my costume I used thicker paper with a treasure map on it. Angela seemed to appreciate the sleight of hand involved; seeming to assume that I had a second map screwed up in my hand and realised the thicker paper would make palming more difficult, especially as my cuffs only reached half way down my forearms.

I followed this with a pseudo-reveal of the trick, getting one of the girls, Fiona, to sign the map before I shredded it, I even let her check that her signing was still on two pieces of the ripped up copy of the map. Then I showed them that I had an extra copy of the map unsigned and neatly folded concealed in my hand and opened it out and showed them that I exchanged the intact map for the ripped up version and presented it. "You're wondering what I do with the ripped up pieces." I showed the fragments and moments later I showed the restored and signed map, which I gave to Fiona as a souvenir.

More of the girls seemed more interested, but there were still a sofa-full that were not engaged; time to up the ante.

"Ok, I need someone to walk the plank. You'll do," I said, pointing at Angela. "Please, come up and bring two more people to help!"

While Angela selected a pair of helpers, I disappeared behind the curtain, quickly returning with a low two part table. As I had hoped, Angela had chosen her niece and one of the girls from the couch that had not been impressed.

"As it happens, I couldn't find a plank, but getting someone to walk the plank, in this, quite obviously, not shark-infested room, is not going cut it, so I found this instead. If the plank won't cut it, I shall cut my selected volunteer. Angela sit on the table and tuck your top up so that your belly is bare; I don't want to damage your clothes and they'll be in the way of cutting your flesh."

Angela looked at me for a moment as if I was stupid, she was wearing a dress that fell to her knees; there was no top to tuck up. By this time she had sat on the middle of the table. Suddenly, with an expression of comprehension, she stood back up and pulled her dress off over her head and handed it off to her niece. She had remembered that I might need other volunteers to participate in their underwear; and concluded, as I had, that if she did it first, it would become less of a surprise and more acceptable, should I need to ask any of the girls to partially strip.

I looked at Angela and smiled, but not long enough to be considered a stare. I cannot be sure, but the underwear on show looked like it was the same bra and panties that had spent most of the show before in my jacket pockets. Maybe she now thought of them as her lucky magic underwear.

I picked up the two light-coloured leather straps from the table and handed them, one each, to Angela's helpers; Marie got the strap with the single buckle on the end, Keli got the one with the two buckles. I asked them to check the straps in their hands and the ones attached to the corners of the table's parts. I went behind the curtain and returned, before the strap tugging had concluded, with a low trolley that held the box covers and the blades.

"Ok, are those straps solid?" I asked.

Marie and Keli both agreed the straps were solid; Marie seemed to want to ask more questions, but was holding back, possibly in case I got offended. I told Angela to sit on the table with her feet towards Keli and allow the girls to attach the buckling parts to her ankles and neck. Keli was straight in there lifting one of Angela's ankles and encircling it with the buckled attachments on her strap and then working on the other. Marie, on the other hand, asked her aunt if she was ok with this and, upon getting the reply that Angela was looking forward to this being an 'interesting experience' (Angela favoured me with a sly wink), gently fitted the neck piece, making sure that her aunt's hair did not get caught and the strap was not too tight.

The next order of business was to fit the straps through the table. With Angela cooperating, I had Keli feed the strap through the hole in the table and pick it up from below and pull it taut, but not so hard as to shift the table. Marie's strap was similarly fed through the table and, as she pulled, I supported Angela's head so she went down gently, but I need not have worried, because Marie pulled gently. I informed them that this was a mildly dangerous illusion and Angela's safety rested in them maintaining an even tension throughout the next few minutes. Marie's look took on a worriedness, while Keli did not appear to be all that bothered, but maintained a good grip on the leather; perhaps so that if things did go wrong, so could not be blamed for not following instructions.

I lifted and placed the two covers onto the table, over Angela. I quickly opened the flaps on the side towards the audience, to show she had not escaped, and then I used the straps on the table corners  to hold them down; with some comment about making sure that Angela could not escape.

I made a fuss about the blades; showing they were sharp and solid. I carried them round the audience, allowing everyone the chance to verify my claims, while avoiding cutting anyone. I returned one blade to the stand and laid the other on top of the boxes. I inserted this blade into the small gap between the boxes until I felt Angela's belly under the edge of the blade. I asked Keli and Marie to look into the open doors of the boxes and assure themselves that the blade's edge rested on Angela's midriff. I had the girls use the straps they held to rotate the table a bit so that all the other girls could see too.

I took out the blade and reminded the girls to keep an even tension on the straps. I asked if Angela was ready to be beside herself. She replied that she was ready. I leaned over the boxes to close the viewing flaps then rammed the blade into the gap between the box covers. This elicited several screams; one from inside the box. I leaned under the table and pushed upward on the edge of the blade, causing the blade's handle to rise too. Then just as quickly, I pulled the blade out, placed it on top of the boxes and reopened the hatches at the front of the boxes. Angela's expression owed more to shock than happiness, but was based around a smile. I had a feeling that she would be numbering this among her 'interesting experiences'.

"Are you ok, Angela?" I asked.

"I think so," she said. She reached down to where the blade had passed through her, as if to assure herself that there was no jagged wound. "It was just a bit sudden, that's all."

"So, you're ok there?"

"I'm fine," she replied.

"Great, because I'd like to take this a bit further." I turned to Marie. "Would you like to push a blade through your aunt?"

Her face showed the internal battle of her desire to be more involved with the magic and an almost equal desire not to hurt her aunt. "If that's ok with you, Aunt Ange?"

"Go for it!" Angela replied.

Marie smiled and then looked down at her hands, evidently not sure what to do with the strap.

Spotting her dilemma, I said, "Why don't you choose someone to look after the strap? Someone you can trust with your aunt's safety."

Marie called up Priya, a pretty Indian girl and, according to the information supplied by Angela in the weeks leading up to the show, Marie's best friend. Marie handed charge of the strap to Priya and came to me to be shown what to do. I handed her the blade, which she took, showing surprise that it was as heavy as it looked. I showed her the guide slot in the lower box and watched her eyes widen at the sight of her aunt's middle visible through the gap; there was enough light through the hatches to show up the obstacle in the blade's path. I told Marie that I would close the hatches and then make space for her to insert the blade, which she should push through with an even pressure.

I performed my part, by leaning over the boxes and closing the doors at the front. Marie seemed more hesitant, but put the blade to the guide rail. She glanced down into the darkened interior of the box via the gap and seemed relieved not to see anything. She began to press down on the blade's handle, but hesitated again when the blade reach the level it had been when it had rested on Angela's belly; it was obvious that she felt Angela in the way of the blade. I whispered "Evenly!" in her ear and she resumed her previous pressure.

Her hand shook slightly as she continue to press the blade down against the resistance of her aunt's body, but, with my encouragement, she had pushed the blade to where it peeked out under the table, at which point it fell from under her trembling hand.

Before she could do anything more, I handed her the second blade and pointed out the guide slot in the end of the upper box cover. Her eyes widened again as if to say, 'Really?' I nodded. And casting doubt aside she located the sharp-edged steel plate in the slot and slammed it home.

In response to the yip we heard from the box, I asked, "What happened to 'evenly'?"

"That was even, just faster, ok?" Maybe Marie was not quite as nice as she first appeared.

I leant over the boxes to release the front latch, holding the two halves of the table together, against the tension provided by Keli and Priya, by a strong grip on the blade handles. Standing, I looked to release the other catch, away from the audience, but it appeared that Marie had released that one for me.

"Keli, Priya, we need a little more tension, please." I felt the force I was holding increase, then I released my hand and the two parts of table sprang apart by two feet and then another foot as Keli and Priya stepped back to recover their balance. I led Marie through the gap that had opened up in her aunt.

I surveyed the audience, I spotted a couple of the girls wearing expression that I know signified they thought they knew how it was done. I picked on one of them. "Milly, where do you think Angela is?"

Startled by my question she gaped for a moment. "She's in one of the boxes, but I don't know which."

I guided Marie to stand to the side, while I returned to between the blades. "Go on! Nail your colours to the mast, which side do you think she's in? The upper half?" I indicated the table and box where Angela had started the illusion with her neck held down by a strap that Priya was still holding. "Or the bottom half?" Spreading my other arm to point over the half that was still leashed to Keli's hand.

Milly was uncertainty personified for nearly five seconds and then her face cleared and she says, "The bottom half."

"Well you're half right," I announced as I opened the hatch so that they could see Angela's legs with her ankles still strapped to the table. "But you're half wrong." I leaned the other way and opened the door to the upper part of the table. The girls in the audience did not get much of a view of Angela's upper half, still with the neck band in place, because Marie rushed forward to ask if she was alright.

Once Angela had assured her niece that she was feeling good, but said that the divider was a bit uncomfortable and tapped it. It took little time, with the help of my girl helpers, to reunite the tables, pull the blades and release Angela from the boxes and her fetters.

I whispered to Angela, "How was that for you?"

She replied, "Interesting."

I led Angela and Marie in a bow and got Keli and Priya to join in.

"What did you think of that?" I asked Marie.

"It was amazing. I was sure that I could feel Aunt Ange's belly under the blade as I pushed it in; that was very clever," said Marie.

Angela countered with, "Nothing clever about it; it was really my belly under that blade." Marie regarded her with a sceptical look.

"Would you like to try something a little less dangerous?"

Her enthusiasm for magic showed on her face, battling her sense for avoiding danger and possible injury. "What would I have to do?" she asked as the two sides declared an uneasy truce.

"All you'd need to do is stand there and let it happen. Angela, Priya and me will do all the work. Sorry, Keli, but there is only room for a magician and two helpers with this one, but maybe I can fit in something for you to star in later."

Keli went back to the sofa near the back, while I sent Angela behind the backdrop to fetch the illusion labelled 'STN'. I talked with Marie and Priya, encouraging them to speculate on what this illusion would be. The audience of late-teen girls joined in the speculation, with the 'S' most popularly being saw, stroke or suck and the 'N' mostly being nipples, although knees and knuckles did get suggested.

Angela returned with a stand. The lower half was covered by a cloth that matched the backdrop's blue and at the top on a peg hung a wooden circle with a hole in the centre. I took down the circle and showed it to be two halves connected by catches. I reconnected the halves with Marie's neck through the reformed hole in the middle and guided her hands to small handles on the sides of the collar. I told her that her safety depended on her keeping the collar as it was (sloping down towards the front at about 30 degrees) and her keeping facing forward until told it was safe to turn. She almost went rigid, so I told her that she also needed to relax a little.

With me, Angela and Priya, behind her, I removed the cloth from the stand. There was a palpable change in the attention centre of the audience. They could see the three swords that had been uncovered. This introduced a new tension into Marie's previously casual stance; she was tempted to glance back to see what had happened behind her to cause the room to go deathly silent.

The swords themselves were not much to look at; a flat metal blade about three inches longer that the diameter of the collar round Marie's neck, a handle on one end large enough to give the holder control and an unornamented cross piece where the blade socketed into the handle. I lifted the middle one from the loop on the stand that the blade had be threaded through and lifted it above my head to demonstrate that it did not flex. With a gesture I invited my two helpers to take a sword each. They looked them over and confirmed by showing that their swords were as rigid as mine.

Marie's feeling that she needed to know what was happening behind her was growing, fuelled by the unnatural silence behind her and the mutterings of the audience she was facing. I stepped up behind her and clasped the sword between my knees by the blade. I placed a hand on either side of her head and told her that it was very important that she remain facing forward no matter what happened. I reminded that she needed to relax also. I wish I could have seen how the conflict played across her face.

I raised my sword and showed the audience that it was a little longer than the collar's diameter by holding it up behind Marie's head. I beckoned my helpers closer and silently pointed out that there were three vertical slots in the back of the collar. I located the tip of my sword in the central slot; Marie felt this subtle change in forces on the collar and went rigid again, I whispered 'Relax' once more. As I had hoped, Priya and Angela followed suit, by putting the tips of their swords into the slots. Angela found it easy, but Priya struggled a little, because she was shorter than Marie, so the slot was nearly at her eye-level.

"Ok, on the count of three!" I announced. "One. Two. Three!"

We pushed the swords into the collar together, but my sword emerged first; this was due to both of my helpers hesitating when they felt the tips of their swords touch the rear of Marie's neck. As soon as they saw the tip of my sword emerge and Marie not reacting as if she was in pain, they pushed their swords through. I moved my sword back and forth a bit to show that the tip moved in synchrony with the handle.

"How does that feel?" I asked Marie.

"Um," she said, experimentally; she did not feel sure that she could speak with three swords through her neck. "Apart from the pricking when the swords tips touched the back of my neck, it's actually quite nice. Tingly, like champagne bubbles in my throat."

"So, you like it?"

"Well, surprisingly, yes."

"So, you won't mind feeling that for the rest of the show?" I continued.

"No."

"Ok," I said as I snicked a padlocked closed through the tip of the sword I had pushed through her neck. I followed up by putting locks on the other two swords. I nudged her towards her place in the audience and bid her enjoy the rest of the show.

I turned to Priya. "What did you think of that?"

Priya looked round and noticed that she was the only teen in the performance area. "It was, kind of cool, but I was a bit worried when I thought I felt Marie's neck as I was pushing the sword through, but I guess it can't have been, because if it was we'd be calling for an ambulance. It was some trick in the stock that gave some resistance at the right point to give that impression, right?"

"I'll let you think that for the moment, but you can check with Marie when we take a break after the next illusion, which Marie, unwittingly, volunteered you for. But I can't think of a more suitable person to experience, the 'HSB'." Priya froze, in a moment of indecision; did she unvolunteer herself in front of her friends? Did she want to go ahead with it, whatever it was? Or did she find out what it was, then make a decision. That neither Angela nor Marie had reported any pain, beyond an initial pricking played in my favour; she did not make a run for it.

I laid the stand that had held the components of the sword through neck illusion onto one half of the sawing in half table and undid the latches. I pushed the table-half towards Angela and asked her to take it behind the curtain and bring back the items labelled 'HSB'. I followed Angela to the backstage entrance and reached round the corner to retrieve a hoop with cloth hanging from it.

I returned and placed the hoop carefully on the floor in front of Priya; making it so that the cloth was under the section of hoop it was attached to, leaving a bare patch of floor in the middle of the arrangement.

I assured Priya and the audience that this was just a preparatory thing and not the 'HSB', then asked if anyone had any ideas what the 'HSB' might be. They seemed more puzzled by this, but one girl, Milly again, suggested that I was going to change the colour of Priya's clothes and perhaps her hair, because, she informed me, 'HSB' stands for 'Hue, Saturation and Brilliance' which is one of the several ways that computer programs represent colour internally. This confirmed to me that Milly was the science geek of the group, but also gave an idea for an illusion I might find out if I could do.

I guided the nervous Priya to stand in the clear area within the hoop. I asked the audience to make a mental note of what Priya was wearing, then raised the hoop so, that it was at Priya's waist level. I asked her to think of an Indian dancing costume, before I lifted the hoop to above her head height. I waited a few seconds until I heard a gasp from within the fabric that concealed Priya's form. On lowering it, we all got a surprised. The assembled girls were surprised to see that Priya had changed costume. I was surprised because it was not the costume I had expected. I had expected a short top or metal bikini and harem pants and, maybe, curly toed slippers, but what we got was a sari and flat sandals; there was a short-sleeved blouse that left her belly bare and lots of pleated and folded fabric wound round her waist, tucked into an underskirt, then draped across her front, over one shoulder and down her back. The blouse was a plain jade green, but the draped and tucked fabric was a brilliant emerald green and covered in gold-thread embroidery.

The audience went silent for a moment before telling Priya how beautiful she looked in her new costume. I admired the imagination of my volunteer. Angela, hearing the commotion, peeked out from behind the back drop and mouthed 'Wow!'

Angela emerged from the backstage area I had created, carrying a squashed laundry basket. I asked her to put it on the remaining half of the sawing table and go back the rest of the stuff. Meanwhile I led Priya to step out of the ring and kicked it aside.

I soon had Priya standing on the sawing table looking into the woven basket; I had removed the lid, which had a hand-sized square hole in the centre. She leant down and pulled an expanse of blue cloth from inside the basket; the basket was up to mid-thigh on Priya and the mouth was slightly wider than her narrow hips. I accepted the cloth and put it on the table the other side of the basket from Priya.

There was a clatter as Angela brought out the other part of the illusion; a stand from which hung five swords, the first four, two on each side, were like the ones through Marie's neck, but longer, and the one in the centre resembled a scimitar with a broad curved blade.

Milly called out, "Ah! It's the Indian Sword Basket, but you said 'HSB'! What's the 'H' for?"

I confirmed her assertion, by commenting, "Sometimes it's called the 'Hindu Sword Basket'."

Priya was looking less certain that she wanted to be involved in this, but some combination of not wanting to look unadventurous to her friends, curiosity and the implied obligation, having been supplied with a gorgeous costume, kept her in place.

"We've got our Indian," I said indicating Priya, "our swords," sweeping my hands in the general direction of the sword stand, "and our basket. Let's see what happens when we combine them."

The audience made a generally enthusiastic sound, which increased the peer-pressure on Priya and reduced the, already low, likelihood of her coming to the decision not to participate.

"Ok, Priya, please get into the basket."

"I don't think I can," answered Priya, "I can't my leg high enough in this outfit."

"Good point, sorry. Allow me to help." I stood close to the edge of the table and placed my hands at knee level and upper back height. I suggested she put an arm round my neck as I lifted her high enough to thread her feet into the open mouth of the basket then lowered her until she was standing in the basket. I reached over to snatch up the cloth that I had dumped on the end of the table and stepped up behind Priya. "Say 'good bye'!" I said, not being specific about who I was speaking to. Priya raised her hand in a nervous wave, while a few members of the audience called back, "Good Bye, Priya."

With a flick of my wrists, I draped the cloth in my hands over my victim, then lowered it to allow her a final nervous smile at the audience. When I raised the cloth, I whispered to Priya that she should kneel down in the basket and tuck her bottom into a corner so she could duck her head below the top of the basket. I suggested that after that she should curl up and get comfortable, because she might be in there for a while.

Priya quickly, if reluctantly, wriggled into the basket, allowing me to toss the cloth aside, to Angela who was the only other witness to the manoeuvre. I placed the lid on the basket, which shook and deformed slightly as Priya found a position within it. A glance through the hole in the lid assured me that she was low enough in the basket for the trick to work.

I called for Angela to hand me the first sword. Her hand hovered over the handle of the scimitar, but I gave a tiny shake of my head and she pulled up one of the other swords and handed me the hilt. I tapped the flat of the blade against basket, mainly to remind the audience that we were dealing with solid blades, but also to warn Priya not to move too much, because there was a sword coming. I inserted the sword through the lid at a low angle and soon found the opening in the side of the basket's side about half way up for the tip of the sword to come out. I heard a tiny whimper from inside the basket as I put the blade in and a relieved sigh as she saw that the sword did not take up much space within as it nearly followed the contour of the upper half of the basket.

The audience seemed divided between those who feared for Priya's safety and those impressed by my magical prowess. The second blade, which went in in the opposite direction, left them similarly split, although, from the whispers I caught, the 'worried for Priya' faction were gaining ground. The third blade went in pointing away from the audience and the final ordinary sword went in through the hole in the lid and out the hole in the front, lifting a leather flap to become visible.

I invited applause, which were slow in coming, until I pushed my hand though the sword-cluttered hole in the lid and after a bit of fishing around, snagged one of Priya's hands and pulled it out. Priya waved with the hand and gave a thumbs-up. A push downward gave her the message to pull her hand back in, as I called for the final sword. Angela, in her role as de facto helper, lifted the scimitar from the stand and came forward holding it horizontally across her palms, presenting it to me.

I whispered, "Squeeze to the side a bit more," into the basket as I accepted the sword. I glimpsed a small patch of light through the basket, where the hole in the bottom of the basket lined up with the hole where the leather strap had been fed through the table earlier. Cautiously, I fed the tip of the broad blade straight down towards the light. Priya made a small surprised sound as the tip of the sword passed her face; fortunately unheard by the girls on the sofas. The expected ruckus occurred when the point of the scimitar became obviously visible below the table.

I allowed the adulation to run its course, then asked what they expected to happen next. Most seemed to think that the swords would come out and Priya would be restored to them none the worse for her experience. A few others seemed to think that Priya was no longer in the basket and would appear from behind the back-cloth or through the door. I looked at Milly who was in neither camp. She said, "None of the above."

"Ok, this is what is going to happen. I'm going to show you that Priya is still in the basket." I pulled out the scimitar and the forward pointing blade; telegraphing the move sufficiently that Angela was there to accept the implements as I handed them back in a manner that assumed she was there to receive them. Next I pulled the leather patch from the front of the basket, to show a hole about five inches square, where Priya's face was soon visible, after I gave the back of the basket a nudge.

"So, you know that Priya is still in the basket and I'll make a deal with you. You may push a sword through the basket, and Priya, if you wish, but if you do Priya and me get to perform some magic on you after the break that will follow. You have the time it takes me to get ready and prepare Priya for her ordeal to make your decision."

I asked Angela to get the pot of swords from behind the backdrop, then went to assure Priya that she would be perfectly fine, despite her fears. She asked if the swords would damage her costume. I admitted there was that possibility, so she asked me to remove her sari, because it was such a beautiful piece of fabric. She pushed an end of the sari cloth up through the hole in the lid and I pulled the full length of it out. Milly queried this and I told her that Priya did not want sword holes in the sari that she was going to get to keep at the end of the show. Priya seemed pleased that she was going to be rewarded for the upcoming torture, with something more tangible that revenge on her torturers.

"Ok, time to decide. I'll call each of your names and when I do you can either come up and take a sword from the pot and stick it through the basket and thus commit yourself to taking part in an illusion after the pizza break. Or you can sit back and watch the fun we have after the break safe in the knowledge that you won't be asked to take part."

I called the girls in the order that I thought would get the majority involved. Each girl in turn I invited to take a sword from the pot that Angela had brought from my store of props behind the backdrop and push it through the walls of the basket containing Priya. Marie, naturally, was first, she selected a sword and gently stuck the sword into the basket from the side until she felt Priya's body under the tip, then thrust it through. Priya winced when she felt the touch of the sword, but once she had recovered from the shock that her friend pushed a sword through her, she smiled.

Next I called up Keli and each of the remaining residents of her sofa. There was one surprise along the way; two girls in the audience got up together when I called the first one and took a sword each and impaled Priya from each side in a synchronised move; recalled Angela saying they we inseparable.

I left Milly to last as I was least sure of her reaction, but I hoped for the best as none of the others had passed up the chance to impale Priya in her basket. It turned out that she was braver than the rest and asking if she might be allowed the last two swords. A quick glance at Priya nearly grinning within the basket told me that she would probably be disappointed if there was a sword left. I had intended to allow Angela the privilege of the last sword or if there had been more left, to share it with her. I liked that Milly thought about what was happening and tried to explain it to herself; I felt that impressing her would be a challenge and I like a challenge.

She took the first of the swords offered and stepped up on the table. Taking a wide stance she located the tip of the sword in the hole in the lid, then she leaned forward and put her hand on the sword blade so that her outstretched finger preceded the sword-tip. She pushed forward laying her arm along the blade and pushing both into the basket. It was quite evident from both Milly's and Priya's faces when Milly touched Priya. Milly manoeuvred her arm out of the basket while keeping the sword in place on the part of Priya she had touched. I heard her quietly count to three, then she thrust the sword until the guard at the end of the handle caught on the edge of the hole in the lid. The sword exited the basket through the weaving below Priya's face.

Milly reached for the second sword as if it was her birthright. I handed it to her holding the blade so the hilt landed in the outstretched hand. She paused for a moment, as if she was evaluating options. She leant forward from her place on the table behind the basket and held the sword vertically above the part of the basket in front of the lid. Before I could fully comprehend what she intended, she had plunged the sword downward. It emerged a fraction of a second later through the wall of the basket below Priya's shocked face. Milly had deliberately stabbed a sword through her friend's head; she either believed in and trusted the magic or trusted that Angela would act if her niece's friend would come to harm.

The audience took longer to process the sight before them, but they had all felt the resistance of their sword's first contact. They also seemed shocked at Milly's action. Priya managed to put a smile on her face, even if it seemed a little shaky. The audience cheered and clapped; I could not decide if it was Priya's fortitude or Milly's unexpected showmanship.

As the hubbub diminished, the doorbell rang. Angela informed me that the pizza delivery had arrived. I announced the interval and told Angela to take the girls to have pizza but save some for Priya and Milly, because I wanted Milly to help me extract Priya from her multiply pierced predicament.

Angela and the rest of the girls left. Milly made a move to follow, but I grabbed her hand and told that I would like a word with her and some help freeing Priya so that she could join in the pizza feast.

As we pulled the swords from the basket, Priya gasped as each one was withdrawn; I interpreted these as gasps of mixed pleasure and relief. Priya soon emerged from the basket and I lifted her out. Her top had a few gashes in it, but her undershirt was a mess of shreds, but there was nothing too intimate on view. I offered to provide another costume, Priya seemed to think that the damage was more a badge of honour than something she wanted to hide, so she could prove that she had really been on the receiving end of all her friends' swords and it was another bit of magic she could be part of when they came back for the second part. Priya scampered off towards the kitchen, where a reduction in the noise told me that pizza was being consumed.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" asked Milly.

"I just thought, as you seem to want to be in two illusions, because you took two swords, which illusions you would like to experience."

Her eyes flicked from side-to-side as if she was leafing through a mental catalogue. "I don't know, but if the magic is as real as it would appear to be, I want to be challenged, so I don't want to do a guillotine type illusion unless my head is chopped clean off (and I survive, of course). I challenge you to surprise me and make me admit that your magic is real, and not some very clever illusion."

I put out my hand and we shook on our bargain.

I did not know how I was going to keep my end of the bargain, but I smiled at Milly and let go. She nodded; I think she knew I needed time to plan something, so turned and said, "Don't wait too long, because pizza gets cold quick." She trotted out of the room.