Love the Magician

Part 2: Courting

When Sarah woke she stayed in bed for five minutes considering what she remembered of the previous night's events. The card trick she felt was explainable, although finding the card, she knew to be in her pile of cards, in the other pile of cards had been a bit of a surprise. The sword through the neck illusion she had seen in other places and was quite prepared to accept that there was a mundane explanation, even if she did not know what it was. The things she could not dismiss were the guillotine and what seemed to happen in the magician's dressing room. She almost wondered if she had been slipped some drug or other.

Then her mind turned to the other two people involved.

There was Mark Turner the magician, whose good looks were reassuring with, paradoxically, a hint of danger. He had been kind and considerate throughout despite what he had been doing to her. She remembered him saying that he would not do to her anything she did not allow him to do. Somehow she found that only mildly comforting in the cold light of day. The fact he seemed to like her a great deal, she felt, was more guarantee that she would not come to harm at his hands.

Then there was his assistant and sister, Cathy. She seemed to want the relationship between Sarah and Mark to blossom, to the point, Sarah could tell, that she was deliberately doing anything in her power to encourage them to get together. Cathy was seeking to have her role in Mark's magic show filled, so that she could live her own life instead of being an appendage of Mark's career.

Sarah got up and went into the regular routine she had for each morning, but when she stood in front of the bathroom mirror she did spend some minutes checking her neck for any evidence that might confirm what she remembered of last night. After a hurried breakfast, she rushed off to the office above the hardware store.

First she checked the answering machine, where she found a message from her boss saying that he would be away another three days longer than he had planned. Next she 'phoned Sally, her boss' wife, to pass on the message if she did not know already and to check that she got home from the show last night. Sally thanked Sarah for her concern, but she knew her husband would be away longer and she had got home safely, then Sally said, "I think that magician fancies you. If you play your cards right, girl, you could find a loving man there. If I was ten years younger I would quite fancy him for myself. Are you going to see him again?"

"Well, they said they would ring me later to arrange taking me to lunch," said Sarah.

"So," breathed Sally, in a tone suggesting that she was reading a whole romantic novel into this, "That's nice. If you want to, take a good long lunch. I'm sure you can't be too busy, what with Bernard away and all."

After the customary goodbyes, Sarah put down the 'phone and got on with her work in a slightly distracted fashion. By eleven o'clock, she had done everything she had to do and was starting on these jobs that were on her 'when-you-have-time' list. Throughout the morning she jumped every time the 'phone rang and she noticed her disappointment, when the caller was a customer or a supplier.

At just after 11:30, the phone rang and this time it was Cathy. They arranged to meet in a medium range restaurant in the middle of town in about an hour. Sarah called down to the shop below and told them that she was going to have a longish lunch, so she was diverting the office phone, if they could not cope with anything she was going to take the office mobile. Picking up the mobile phone that they kept on charge in case of emergencies and drove into the centre of town.

Having found a place to park, Sarah walked the short distance to the restaurant. She hoped she would not be too early; partly because if they were early she might seem too eager and partly because if they were late she would be waiting quite a while which she disliked.

She entered the restaurant and scanned the tables for Mark or Cathy, but saw nobody she knew. For a moment she felt like running away, then the head waiter approached and coughed politely. "Does madam have a reservation?"

Sarah's defensive sense of humour prompted her to say that she had lots of reservations, But instead she said, "I'm not sure, but I think it might be in the name Turner."

Discreetly, the waiter checked his watch before saying, "Ah yes. We are expecting the Turners any minute. Allow me to show you to their table." Sarah followed him across the floor to a round table set for three. Once she had selected a seat that allowed her to watch the door for Mark and Cathy's arrival, the waiter held the chair and assisted in seating her.

After a couple of minutes another waiter introduced himself and presented Sarah with a menu. For a short while she considered how hungry she was, but a glance at the menu made feel like eating.

The door opened and in walked Mark, alone. He was dressed in his formal suit and white bow tie and a red-lined black cloak. Mark and the head waiter exchanged a few words, then Mark strolled to the table where Sarah sat.

Sarah was slightly worried, that Cathy had not come with her brother, because while she knew that she got on with Mark very well, she felt nervous being in public with a man and no chaperone. "Hello, Mark. Thank you for inviting me. Where's Cathy? Couldn't she make it? When she phoned me this morning she seemed to be looking forward to this."

"She will be here in a minute or two," said Mark, feeling a little disappointed that Sarah seemed to be a bit uncomfortable of being seen alone with him. He decided to try to lighten the mood, by saying, "How are you, after last night's adventure?"

Sarah giggled and replied, "Um, I don't know really. I had half expected to have to reattach my head this morning, but I seem to be alright." She demonstrated that her head was firmly attached by placing a hand each side of her head and pretending to attempt a lift. "I slept quite well after all that excitement, and I was glad that Cathy rang to invite me to lunch."

"Speaking of Cathy, I think she is just about to arrive," remarked Mark as her took off the cloak which had hung to his knees.

"I don't see her," commented Sarah glancing towards windows and door.

"That's because she isn't going to come through that door," stated Mark.

Sarah looked round for the other entrances to the restaurant area, see noticed the double swing doors to the kitchen and the entrance to some stairs discreetly labelled 'Toilets'.

"You looking in completely the wrong places," chided Mark with an impish smile. He swung his cloak enough to show that it was empty, but he felt a bit limited for space even in the spaciously laid-out restaurant. The flourishing of his cape drew the attention of all the diners and made it obvious to all that nothing of any significant size could have hidden in the fabric of the cloak. He stepped back to stand with his back to a wall below a picture by a local artist. The cloak was dropped on the floor then picked up by the shoulders. By the time he had raised the top to waist height it was clear that something was under the cloak, but even from her sideways angle could not see what it was. Gradually, Mark raised the cloak a little further, while he caught the eye of the head waiter. Suddenly, Mark whipped the cloak upward and with an astonishing move threw the cloak across the dining area into the arms of the only slightly flustered maître d'. The question of what the something under the cloak had been was resolved; it was a someone and that someone was Cathy, wearing a short dark blue skirt and matching jacket over an ivory coloured blouse.

Once they had acknowledged the applause of the other diners, Mark pulled out a chair for Cathy to sit and then seated himself.

Sarah had been amazed by the mode of Cathy's arrival, so she asked, "How did you do that?"

"It's quite simple really," expounded Cathy, having checked with Mark that it was OK, by making eye contact. "You remember the way we vanished at the end of the show last night." Sarah nodded. "Well, it's exactly like that but in reverse." Sarah's puzzled expression brought forth the further explanation that they had to use a bigger cloth which was the cloak, because they had less control over who was looking and from where, but the mechanics were the same.

Sarah considered this explanation and quickly realised that the explanation she had been given had told her nothing about how the trick was done, or maybe it was more magic like cutting off people’s heads. Thinking back she remembered the explanation she had been given for that feat had also amounted to little more than it happens and we know how to use it.

Sarah's introspection was interrupted by the waiter bringing two more menus. They indulged in small talk and discussed what they fancied on the menu and soon they had ordered a meal. Sarah also noticed that the people on the other tables kept glancing in their direction, presumably in the hope of witnessing some more magic. This made her feel vulnerable. During the meal the only magic Mark performed was to change the colour of the rose in the vase on the table from white to scarlet and then to a peachy-pink colour.

At the end of the beautiful lunch Mark received the bill and placed his credit card on the saucer and allowed the waiter to take it. Mark signed the receipt on the way out.

Outside the restaurant, Mark asked where Sarah had parked. "Oh good," he remarked, "That’s the way we're going. Maybe, you'd like to see where we practice; it's on your way."

Sarah readily agreed that she would like to see Mark and Cathy's practice room. It turned out to be a large upstairs room over an insurance brokers, with the advantage of a freight lift as well as stairs. The floor was bare boards and the off-white paint on the walls was peeling in places, but otherwise it was clean and bright. In the darkest corner were stacked boxes and crates and there was a quite large mirror on a stand free-standing in the middle of the room.

Sarah dared not venture an opinion as she did not want to offend Mark or his assistant, but her face gave her away.

"Yes, it isn't much, but it was the best we could get at the notice. We usually try to hire a dance studio for the time we are in a town, the wall mirrors are very useful in working out sight-lines and such. But this time it seems the only studio in town was booked by the ballet company that are following us into the theatre. At least this has the virtue of being only a short step to the theatre."

"While you're here would you like to see an illusion we are working on?" asked Cathy, quite obvious trying to prolong Sarah and Mark's time together.

Sarah instinctively looked at her watch. Observing this Cathy immediately assured Sarah that it wouldn't take any time at all. "In fact, it is known as 'The World's Fastest Illusion'. And I don't know a magician who can make it last more than ten seconds."

"Alright then, amaze me!" she challenged.

Already Mark was dragging a large and very solid looking packing crate to the centre of the room. When it was positioned to his satisfaction he pulled a couple of large pieces of material from the crate along with the crate's lid and what turned out to be a nail gun. The scarlet material he threw at Cathy and the other, which was black, he dropped on the wooden floor beside the box.

Cathy unfolded the scarlet fabric and showed Sarah that it was a large and well-made bag with a drawstring at the open end. While Sarah checked it further, finding no Velcro seams, Cathy went to another box and returned with a pair of handcuffs.

Cathy took the bag and handed the handcuffs to Sarah. While Sarah looked over the cuffs, Cathy strutted to the crate and draped the closed end of the bag into the box and held the open end open for Mark to leap into. Standing in the bag, Mark beckoned Sarah forward and then held his wrists out for the cuffs. It took Sarah a few moments to sort out the cuffs and fit them on Mark's wrists.

"That's not tight enough," Mark said, demonstrating this by handing the cuffs back having slipped his hands out of them. "Do them up as tightly as you can, or getting out of them is hardly a challenge" Mark presented his wrists again and this time Sarah closed them until they would close no further. This time Mark seemed satisfied and Cathy smiled too.

Mark ducked down into the bag allowing Cathy to tighten the drawstring and offered the loops to Sarah. Sarah tied a good tight knot she had learnt at the hardware shop, Cathy looked impressed, "people usually only do a couple of overhand knots, but that is truly a beautiful and professional knot; I hope you know how to undo it."

With the knot tied and the bag sealed with Mark handcuffed inside, Cathy, with an ease that denoted much practice, swung the lid of the crate into place and picked up the nail gun. Eight quick thuds later the lid was comprehensively nailed to the rest of the box. Cathy turned to Sarah, "Stand back and marvel!"

Sarah stood back and watched. Cathy picked up the other piece of fabric by an edge that had poles sewn into it. She shook the fabric out and it shimmered in the light from the window. Having shaken it out, she gathered the cloth back up to the poles and rested it on top of the crate, before climbing on top of the crate herself. Taking hold of the poles Cathy draped the curtain in front of the packing case and began to count.

"One ...” said Cathy raising the cloth up to waist height and the letting it drop to mid-thigh.

"Two ...” said Cathy raising the cloth to her shoulders and dropping it again to mid-thigh.

"Three ...” she said raising the curtain above her head and when it dropped Mark was standing there and there was no sign of Cathy. Mark dramatically flung the cloth to the side where it landed with a clatter and jumped off the crate.

"So, I'm impressed, but where's Cathy gone?" asked Sarah.

"Where do you think she is?" asked Mark.

"Well, let me guess! It seems inevitable that she is in there," responded Sarah pointing at the packing crate. "And I would also guess she's inside the bag and handcuffed, but the box is nailed up so how are we going to get her out?"

Mark smiled. "Given that I was in there and I’m now out here, that might seem a silly question. But I'm going to get her out by normal means, because there is no magic in getting someone out of a sealed box if you weren't sure that they were in the box in the first place, right?"

While Sarah considered this proposition, Mark went to a toolbox and brought back two sets of pincers. He handed her a pair of pincers then immediately begin extracting the nails that had so recently been fired into the packing crate's lid. Sarah joined in the effort and had removed two nails in the time it took Mark to take out the rest. As the last nail was freed the lid slid from the crate and the top of the bag rose from within the crate still baring the knot Sarah had tied. Sarah reached over and untied the neck of the sack. Cathy with a theatrical flourish raised her handcuffed wrists out of the bag's neck and allowed it to slide down her body. It took Sarah several seconds to notice that Cathy was no longer wear the blue skirt and jacket that she had climbed onto the top of the box with, but was now attired in a brilliantly white leotard.

"That was super," enthused Sarah, "but didn't I see exactly same trick yesterday on stage? Of course, you were both in different costumes and the box looked different, but I'm sure it was the same." A pause for reflection later, she added, "Did I hear you right when you said? You're working on this. How come?"

For a moment Cathy and Mark exchanged glances and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Sarah slightly aggrieved not to be in on the joke.

Mark paused to calm himself. "Firstly, we don't called them tricks; 'trick' as a word is associated with deceiving to gain an advantage. We don't deceive that way."

"You could have fooled me!" Sarah interjected.

"No, what we do is deceive to entertain, people know they are being fooled, but they know that no harm to them or anyone else will follow, so they can relax and enjoy the experience."

"That's as may be," commented Sarah, "but I can't see how that is at all funny."

"Well the terms we usually use are 'effect' and 'illusion'," added Cathy.

"So?" said Sarah.

"An 'illusion' is where what the audience sees is different from what is actually happening," explained Mark.

"And an 'effect' is what appears to be happening," amplified Cathy.

"So what you saw last night was the same effect, but a different illusion," finished Mark.

Sarah was puzzled and she admitted it, "I think that one went right over my head. Would you mind telling me again? I might get it this time."

"Well, you see, last night you saw Cathy and me swap places inside and outside a locked box, right?" Sarah nodded. "And you've just seen the same happen just now, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so, except the box was nailed not locked," She pointed out.

"Nailed; locked it does not matter really, the point is that two people swapped places, when normally they couldn't have in the time, right?"

Still a little dubious, Sarah said, "I supposed so, but..."

"So it was the same 'effect'. OK so far?"

"I think I've got it. The same thing in principle seems to be happening so it was the same effect. Am I getting warm?"

"Yes. Now 'illusion' to us is more about how we achieve the effect rather than the effect achieved." Again Sarah nodded this time with a better idea of where the trail was leading. "What you saw last night was done by a different method than what we just did here," concluded Mark.

"I think I understand, but what was so funny?" asked a still bemused Sarah.

"I suppose nothing really," conceded Cathy, "except the amusement that professionals get when the public misuse words that have come to have a more specialised meaning. I guess you know more about the difference between a pulley and a block and tackle than I do."

Sarah's mouth twitched into a smile.

"OK, so how come your practicing a new illusion to achieve the same effect? And how does this one differ from last night's?" challenged Sarah.

"Reason for practising a different method doing something is to avoid becoming stale. You know different methods require different moves and knowing both sets of moves allows us to fool even the members of the audience who know one method that we are using another method, even if we aren't. As to how they differ; what you saw last night was achieved by the secret method that is as closely guarded as the method for the sword through the neck, whereas what you just saw was done by the more usual method that you can get plans for by mail-order."

"You mean you didn't invent all your tricks, erm... illusions?"

"No Way!" giggled Mark, "Not even the most creative magicians or illusion designers ever invented more than a dozen or so, in their entire lives. Do you know how many different illusions we are likely to have performed by the end of the week?"

Sarah shook her head.

Mark shook his head too. "Neither do I, but it might be a hundred or so, because we do a different set of illusions each night, so as to keep the show fresh and to make it more difficult for anyone to steal our original ideas.

Cathy had climbed out of the crate and whispered something to Mark. At first Mark looked shocked, but his face soften. "Cathy has just suggested we show you how this was done, which goes against everything you are told when you are learning magic.’ Never show a member of the public how a trick was done!' But you were such a good sport last night that I don't think of you as a member of the public any more, so how about it?"

Sarah was surprised and not a little flattered, but was not sure she actually wanted to learn the means by which the magic was achieved, it would spoil the magic. She was about to say 'yes', more to stay in the company of Mark and his sibling, than to find out how the substitution trunk was performed, when the mobile phone rang.

Sarah dug the phone from her bag and answered it. After the brief conversation that followed, she said, "I wish I could stay, but something's come up at work. Maybe, you can show me how to do that some other time."

Cathy whispered something more in Mark's ear and he seemed pleased by the idea. "You know, tonight's show is going to be different from what we did last night, why don't you come along?"

The mixture of doubt and delight Sarah felt at being invited to see the show showed on her face.

"That's a date then?" asked Cathy. "We'll leave a ticket for you at the box office, just say you're our guest. We'll make sure it's one of the best seats in the house."

Sarah thanked them and left to sort out the problem at the hardware store.

The rest of the afternoon crept at a snail's pace, until just before she was about to leave when Sally rang.

"So, how did lunch go?" asked the boss' wife, without preamble.

"It was great," replied Sarah and described the lunch date in detail, prompted by Sally.

"So, he's giving you a free ticket to see the show again. Do you think that he'll want to have up on stage again to cut your head off again? (That was most convincing)" asked Sally.

"I hope not. I don't really want to be part of the show two nights running. But perhaps he'll show me some magic afterwards like he did last night."

"Well, have a good time tonight and tell me all about it tomorrow!"

When she got home, Sarah wondered what she should wear to the theatre. She decided on a summer dress in a cream colour patterned with small flowers and comfortable flat shoes.

----------

From her seat in the stalls she watched the show, which was similar, but different to the show she had seen the previous night. During the interval Sarah discovered that she had not only been provided with a complimentary seat, but a free drink too. The drink came with a note asking her to be ready to volunteer.

About half way through the act the opportunity to volunteer turned up so she raised my hand when Cathy came into the audience to select a team of volunteers. There were four, her, two men and another woman. They were soon introduced to the audience as Sarah, Harris, Doug and Gwen.

During the introductions Cathy pushed a low table made of plain wood to the centre of the stand and then brought out a stand with some boxes and other stuff on it. She then stood ready in a long dress with a slit up the side showing a stockinged leg.

Harris and Doug, both casually dressed and slightly overweight, but still strong, were given a leather strap each to check out for ‘hidden assistants and trapdoors’.

Sarah and Gwen were asked to check out the table for a similar of magician’s tricks and they both found them to be solid and lacking in sliding panels, smoke and mirrors.

Mark kidded Gwen that she was the person that the magic was going to happen to, which made her nervous, he compounded this by pulling a skimpy neon green leotard from the equipment stand and saying Gwen would be wearing this. Cathy played her part in the deception by taking the costume in one hand and Gwen in the other and moving towards the wings as if to help Gwen prepare for her starring role in this illusion, which was quite obviously some variation on sawing a woman in half.

Cathy and Gwen had hardly gone more than two steps when Mark said that he was kidding and produced and even skimpier bikini as the proposed costume instead of the leotard. Quick on the heels of this was another admission that Gwen’s leg was being pulled. Although he did offer to saw Gwen in half if she really want to replace the illusion’s intended centre of attention, Cathy. Sarah detected a moment of hesitation before Gwen declined to take Cathy’s place in the illusion.

Sarah and Gwen were asked to inspect the remaining equipment on the stand, while Cathy was prepared for the illusion. Harris and Doug were asked to attached the leather straps that they had been inspecting to Cathy at her neck and ankles, then feed the loose ends though the holes in the table. This Mark said would hold Cathy in place so that she could not escape her fate.

Sarah wondered how true this was; was Mark going to divide his sister in two or was some illusionist's trick be used to make it appear that Cathy had been divided. Sarah did not have an answer and could not think of a way to ask that did not give the game away. I came as a shock to Sarah that she was on the side magicians and the members of the audience who were here to be entertained, against those that might seek to spoil the fun by working out what was really happening and telling those who do not want to know.

The equipment stand held two box covers,the right size to cover the table, but shallow enough that Cathy would have little room for manoeuvre, if manoeuvring was what she was going to do. Also there were two flat metal blades with wooden handles on their long edge, that matched the wood of the table and the boxes. Finally, there were two swords, pointed, but without sharp edges. Sarah wondered what these were for; if there had been one she would have assumed that it would be the implement used to 'cut'.

Cathy was secured to the table, by ankle and neck straps tethered by long leather leashes to the gentleman volunteers who had been told to maintain the tension to prevent any freedom of movement for the assistant. Mark helped Gwen lifted one of the covers and place it over Cathy's upper body and gave her the task of locking it to the table with a set of catches, while he opened the hatch in the side so that Cathy could be seen. Cathy waved at the audience; she was acting as if she was nervous about the impending magic. Sarah was asked to help with the second box cover and as she did up the catches, Gwen was assigned the job of checking that Cathy was real all the way down and affirming for the audience that the first blade, which Mark put through a slot in the end of the box that Gwen had helped fit, rested on Cathy's abdomen.

While Gwen felt Cathy's arm and legs, and then assured the audience that there were no fake parts involved, Mark gave Sarah the job of guarding the rear 'to make sure that no-one enters or leaves the box from behind.' He also asked that she handle the remaining things from the equipment stand when he called for them.

Sarah wondered what the point was, because there was nowhere for Cathy could escape the box on the upstage side of the illusion and, she felt sure that Mark was perfectly capable of fetching a blade and two swords when he needed them. Rather than spoil the magic by calling this into question, she decided to go with the flow.

The illusion followed the usual course of events for this illusion. Mark removed the blade that rested on Cathy and leaned over the apparatus to close the audience-facing hatches. He then rammed the blade back into place, demonstrated that it was the same blade by pushing it up from underneath the table, then he pulled it out and put it on top of the the boxes, before revealing Cathy, still shackled and whole, by opening the hatches and having Gwen check her over.

Stage two involved the hatches being re-closed and the blade being pushed back in, this time through the slot in the end of the lower box. Mark called for and received the second blade from Sarah, which he put in, but it appeared to get stuck. Mark asked Harris, who was holding the leash that held down Cathy's neck to give it a tug. The table moved slightly as Doug compensated for the increase in tension from Harris and the blade fell into place. Sarah's practical turn of mind caused her to wonder how increasing the tension on something that is supposed to hold something, specifically Cathy, in place was meant to move her enough to allow the blade to fall. She dismissed this thought with the explanation 'it's magic, it bends and breaks the laws of physics and common-sense; don't worry'.

The next thing to happen did worry her. She handed the swords from the equipment stand over and Mark pushed them through central holes on each cover box. If Cathy is magically divided, thought Sarah, Mark is adding to her troubles by pushing swords through her, and if she is curled up in one of the halves, isn't it dangerous to push something pointed through the limited space? It appeared to Sarah to be adding insult to injury however this illusion was achieved.

While Sarah pondered the point of the swords, Mark unlatched the two halves of the table and allowed the tension from the two volunteers to separate them, before stepping between them to receive the general acclaim of the audience.

With some help from Gwen and Sarah, the two sections of table were reunited, then the swords and dividing blades were removed, before Mark set Gwen and Sarah to undoing the fastenings on the box covers and helping the ladies remove them. Sarah was probably the first to notice that Cathy was no longer in her elegant dress, but had changed into a knee length skirt complemented with knees socks and a jacket and a top. As she became visible her change into a new costume was applauded. Sarah noted the lack of any evidence of the previous costume and guessed that some magic had been involved.

Mark called for applause for his helpers from the audience as he allowed Cathy to lead them to the stairs from the stage to the auditorium floor. As Sarah turned to go, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm aware that you did not get to see much of the magic, because you were behind the table and the magic was directed towards the audience. Why don't you stay up here for a bit and get a closer view of the next trick?"

Sarah was unsure whether she should be enthusiastic, dubious or appear to take this as compensation for having a poor view of the previous illusion. She said, "Thank you," in as neutral a tone as she could manage and hoped she would keep her head this time.

The curtain closed behind Mark and Sarah, as Cathy went about preparing the stage for the next illusion, which seemed likely to be the finale of the show.

Mark asked Sarah a few questions about who she was and what she did for a living; All questions that allowed the fiction that Sarah was a volunteer from the audience to be maintained, without Sarah feeling it was necessary to lie. The audience learned about her job and that she was attending the show alone and felt that she was one of them and not possessed of any skills in the arts of magic or trickery. They were even told that the nearest she had come to being involved in anything theatrical, before this week, was setting up an account for the local amateur dramatics society so that they could buy supplies and pay after the show had happened.

The curtain reopened, to show a nearly bare stage. Centrally, in pride of place, was a large chest. Next to it was a heap of cloth and to the side on a small table were an assortment of bit and bobs of unknown use. Also Cathy was there in a leotard, fishnet stockings and ballet slippers.

"This illusion was invented by John Nevil Maskelyne . Have you heard of him?" asked Mark.

"I don't think so; should I?"

"He was a nineteenth century magician and inventor, but no reason you should know of him unless you are a fan of magic. How about Houdini?"

"I think so. He was an escape artist from the 1900s, wasn't he?" Sarah replied.

"While he was primarily known for his escape artistry, you might call him 'The Escape Artist', he was also an accomplished magician. He used this trick in his performances and helped popularise it. So first we inspect the chest, to check that it is solid with no hidden escape hatches or assistants to help me."

Mark conducted Sarah to the chest and opened it to show the plain metal-lined interior and the sack of blue velvet. He had Sarah bang on all the faces of the chest inside and out, including the base, for which he tipped the whole chest forward, giving the audience a view into the insides.

Sarah's next task was to inspect the bag and choose whether she wanted the nap of the velvet on the inside or the outside. To Sarah the bag, about three feet wide and five feet deep, seemed to be properly constructed and the seams were solid and the bag lacked Velcro or zips or other means of escape. There was a drawstring in a well-sewn turn-over at the top of the bag and the middle of the string was secured. Sarah pronounced the bag to be secure and turned the nap side in.

Mark took the bag and draped it over the edge of the chest, then guided Sarah over to the table of miscellaneous equipment.

The equipment turned out to be two pairs of handcuffs, a blindfold and a set of padlocks. Sarah was asked to check the padlocks, which she recognised as a reputable brand, and the blindfold, while Cathy applied both pairs of handcuffs to Mark's wrists.

Sarah was asked to bring the blindfold and padlocks to the chest, where she watched Cathy hold the bag open so that Mark could step into the bag and the box at the same time. Cathy held the bag at waist height while Sarah put the blindfold on Mark's head. Cathy raised the opening of the bag, while Mark squatted in the bag. The assistant pulled the drawstring tight, then offered the helper the chance to make a distinctive knot. Sarah tied the loose ends of the cord including a second turn around the neck of the bag. Cathy put her hand on the top of Mark's head to make sure that it was below the level of the lid, then shut the lid.

With Sarah's help Cathy fitted the six padlocks around the lid, with Sarah confirming that they were properly fitted, that the fittings were secure and that she had left the keys on the table. Cathy picked up the cloth from the floor beside by the two poles sewn into the top edge and laid these across the top of the box.

Cathy went behind the chest and climbed on, sitting on it and swinging her legs up, then rising from her seated position on the chest's lid. Leaning down she lifted the poles from which the cloth hung until they were at waist level, then she appeared to have an idea.

"Sarah, why don't you come up here and see the magic really up close and personal." Cathy put the cloth back down and offered he hand to help Sarah climb onto the box with Cathy.

Sarah's hesitation was noticed by the audience who cheered encouragement, as if they would not need to be asked twice about a chance to see how a trick worked. Sarah's reluctance was not fear of the unknown, but suspicion that Cathy was trying another of her moderately heavy-handed attempts to get her and Mark together. She was expecting that Cathy and Mark would switch places as they had during the rehearsal she had seen that lunchtime, so She and Mark would be in close proximity on the moderately small top of the box; the possibility that she might end up inside the box with Mark also crossed her mind.

Propelled by the audience's enthusiasm she lifted one foot to the top edge of the box and took the offered hand. Sarah used the tension of the hand and a spring of her lower leg to leap onto the box.

The audience cheered Sarah's agility; Cathy's expression show a mixture of impressedness and jealousy. Sarah felt the need to thank the assistant for the helping hand up, trying to make it clear that it was not a feat she could have done without the help.

"Would you pick up that pole, please." Cathy and Sarah picked up a pole each and raised the cloth to waist level. "Do you know what is going to happen?" Cathy asked, more to build suspense for the audience.

"I've seen this kind of set-up on the TV and the magician and the assistant switch places. And they seem to do it in an impossibly short space of time too."

"That is part of the derivation of the name of this illusion. It is known in magical circles as the substitution trunk or for the more poetic, it is called the metamorphosis, because in its early years, the switch was assumed to be faster than physically possible, so it was assumed that the performers transformed into each other; a reasonable fiction in less enlightened times."

Cathy paused from her exposition, realising she had taken on the task of organising a magical neophyte in the performance of this illusion. "On the count of three, raise your side of the curtain and then after a second lower it again," she instructed. "Are you ready?"

Sarah nodded and on the count of three raised the curtain, hiding her and Cathy from the view of the audience.

The only person in theatre not surprised by what happened next was Mark.

The audience expected Cathy to end up in the box and a fair proportion expected Sarah to be in there with her. Cathy was expecting to be in the box, but was still on top of the box with her brother, Mark. Sarah had disappeared. Mark took advantage of his sister's surprise; pulling the curtain from her hand and slinging the whole assembly to the back of the stage.

The magician leapt from the top of the box and helped his assistant dismount.

Meanwhile, Sarah was trying to come to terms with being inside a box that felt a lot smaller on the inside than is looked from the outside. Other parts of this new experience were the total darkness inside the box, being handcuffed with two sets of handcuffs and being inside a velvet bag. She initially heard some noises as feet moved about on the lid of the chest, but this was lost in some of the noises she was making by bumping into the insides of the box and being marginally grateful for the presence of the thick velvet of the bag as padding, but not as prison.

Cathy rushed to the table and collected the keys three of which she passed to Mark with a practised toss. There unlocking and removal of the padlocks was heard by Sarah as faint scratchings and small thumps and rattles. Then light flooded in and more importantly to Sarah a bit of fresher air, as the inside of the chest was getting a bit stuffy.

She raised her hands and could feel hands on the outside of the bag working on the knot she had tied. Soon the bag slid down her body as she raised her cuffed hands. Mark stepped forward and lifted Sarah from inside the box and put her on her feet, so that Cathy could release the cuffs.

The audience noticed before Sarah that she was not wearing the clothes that she had been wearing when she mounted the box, but instead was wearing the dress that Cathy had been wearing when she lay down on the sawing table.

Sarah felt a little self conscious with a lot more leg exposed that she was accustomed to, especially in such a public situation. Cathy guided her to the steps leading to the seats and whispered, "Hang about afterwards and we'll give you your own clothes back."

Once Sarah had reached her seat, she watched the magician vanish his assistant by standing her in front of a black cloth and raising a ring up her body in such a way that above the rising ring was Cathy, but below there was nothing. He topped this off by standing in the same placed and raising a pale blue cloth in front of himself and then the cloth dropped and nobody was there.

After a few seconds the black cloth, that the magician and his assistant had disappeared in front of, fell into a heap on the stage, with no space to hide Mark or Cathy and certainly not both.

As the Auditorium lights rose people began to pass in front of her knees, some expressing amazement at her participation in the show and some others admiring the dress that had replaced the clothes she had ascended onto the stage wearing. She explained several times that she did not know how she had ended up in the box or the dress.

As the crowd thinned, Cathy appeared through the side entrance and beckoned Sarah to follow. Sarah followed. She ended up in the same dressing room via the same dingy corridors behind and under the stage.

Without an excuse to be elsewhere, Cathy stayed while Mark and Sarah talked.

"Did you enjoy the show this evening?"

"Yes, very much."

"Anything you particularly liked?"

"No, I enjoyed it from beginning to end."

"What about the sawing illusion and the sub trunk?"

"Ok, the sawing was fun, even though I did not get to see everything that was happening. It was fun being part of the magic. And after I got over the shock of being crammed into the box, that was fun too."

"Would you like to spend more time on stage doing that kind of thing?"

"It would make a positive change from what I'm doing with my life at the moment, certainly. But I'm not sure that I want to or could do it professionally."

Cathy intervened, telling Mark to stop beating about the bush and get to the point.

Mark got down on one knee and asked, "Sarah, would you do me the high honour of becoming my assistant and wife?"

In a magicianly fashion, she showed Sarah that his hands were empty, he placed one hand either side of her right hand and when he released the hand a ring sparkled on the third finger.

Sarah raised her hand to look at the ring that appeared on her finger, and wondered whether placing it there by magic had been romantic or presumptuous. She was inclined towards considering it romantic.

"My mother told me, that if a had a big decision to make, and this one is likely to be life changing, that I would need to sleep on it. May I follow my mother's advice?"

"It sounds like you mother was a wise woman; take all the time you need. I don't want to rush you into making such an important decision."

"Ok, may I have my clothes back, so I can go home and deliberate?"

"Of course," said Cathy holding out the bag. "And you can keep the dress."

----------

Once she was home, in her small flat, Sarah pulled out the only photograph of her mother that she still had and asked it if she should consent to marrying Mark and being his wife and assistant. She then removed the new dress and hung it in her wardrobe and after a shower went to bed. She slept and dreamt of being with Mark and being in some unusual situations, such as being sawn in half, or inside a small box, none of this terrified her.

Cathy, in her hotel room, thought to herself that Sarah and Mark would make a lovely couple and the fact that Sarah had been in the box instead of her seemed to indicate that the couple would be a great magic act. She dreamed of what she might do when Sarah and Mark had got a show together and she could do what she liked.

Mark wondered whether asking Sarah to married him and become his partner in magic was the right thing to do. He felt that on balance that he trusted Sarah to make the response to his proposal that would be right for both of them; the fact that she did not instantly say yes or no increased his confidence that even if she said no, it would be the best thing that could happen.