The magic show began with the magician, Mystic Mark, performing a Chinese linking rings routine in front of the curtain, then greeting and welcoming us, the audience, to the show. “Before we go much further, I'm going to need some help; nothing dangerous, just a bit of help making an assistant for the evening. To that end I am looking for a volunteer.”

The house lights were brought up a bit to allow the magician to see the forest of hands volunteering to help him produce an assistant. The curtains behind him opened to show a wooden trunk in the centre a foot behind the curtain line, a naked mannequin to the back on one side and rack of clothes on the opposite side.

I looked around to see if I could spot who the magician would choose. He chose my wife, who had insisted that we come see the show, because she had heard good things about it online. In about a minute, Yvonne was up on the stage being introduced to the rest of the audience as their eyes to see that he was not cheating and to help him prepare for the appearance of his assistant. There was even a brief moment when I was introduced as the person that she had come to the show with, for those sceptical, like I would have been, that Yvonne was a plant.

“Now I shall be producing my assistant for the evening inside this wooden box, so, Yvonne, would you mind helping me show it to the audience and check to be sure for yourself that there are no hidden assistants or trapdoors or similar artifices of the magical profession?”

With little ceremony, the four padlocks were unlocked from holding the lid down, then I was tossed the keys to look after them. Meanwhile the lid was shown to be a sturdy wood panel with the locking plates hinged to it, then the lid was laid aside to show the empty inside of the box and Yvonne was encouraged to thump the walls and base show that they were equally solid.

“Now that we have inspected the box where my assistant will appear, we need to put a few things in there before we lock down the lid. To have my assistant appear we need the parts; so could you check the mannequin and bring it over, please, Yvonne.”

My wife went over to the display dummy and tried to lift it, but it seemed too heavy for her. Then she tried rocking it from side to side and twisting it, so that she could walk it forward towards the trunk.

“There is no need to bring it over in one piece, because as you will observe, it is too tall to fit in the trunk in one piece. So, if you could take it to bits and bring them over, that would be good.” After a false start, Yvonne had the knack of taking the mannequin to pieces and bringing two at a time to the trunk, where she was asked to place them inside the box (carefully so as not to damage the parts).

Soon the mannequin stand was empty and Yvonne was charged with selecting three outfits from clothes rack. While she did this a stagehand walked on and removed the mannequin stand.

Yvonne brought forward three costumes and the magician helped her display them to the audience. She had chosen a long off-the-shoulder green gown that shimmered with sequins, a yellow bikini, and red bustier with swags attached at the bottom by way of a very short skirt. My wife was allowed to chose one not to use as possibly inappropriate for a magician's assistant; she rejected the bikini. Then the audience were asked to vote for their preferred assistant outfit; the majority expressed a preference by cheering for the bustier outfit. Yvonne was asked to return the rejected items and bring a pair of shoes from the rack under the costumes and a packet of tights or stockings.

The accumulated clothes were placed into the box on top of the mannequin parts and then Yvonne confirmed that there was nothing in the box that we, the audience, had not seen put in there. The lid was placed on the top of the box and then she and the magician snapped the locks in place.

The magician climbed on top of the box. “Yvonne, would you collect the curtain from the wings and bring it here?”

She looked around and saw a man standing in the wings holding a curtain tied to a metal tube. She went to fetch it, and carried it to the trunk. “Where do you want it?”

“Just put the rod on the front of the trunk and help me undo the ties, please.”

The magician picked up the tube and shook out the curtain so that it hung down in front of the trunk and extend either side of the trunk by almost the length of the trunk. “As you are supposed to be keeping an eye on things for the audience, why don't you come and stand on the box with me that way you will be able to see that no-one creeps in behind the cover of the cloth.” He held out a hand to help Yvonne up onto the top of the box.

When they were both steady on the box, he told her to shout out if she saw anyone trying to get into the trunk. He raised the curtain and counted three, then dropped it in front of the trunk.

Nothing appeared to have changed, except that my wife seemed motionless. Then a knocking was heard from the trunk. “I will get you out as soon as I can.” the magician said to the box. He turned and looked at me; he said, “I'll be needing the keys.” I lobbed them onto the stage, where they landed near his feet.

He went to the figure that remained standing on the lid of the box. It had become evident that this was not my wife, but a mannequin that was wearing what seemed to be my wife's clothes. He handed it over to a stagehand, who took it into the wings.

The next thing he did was pick up the keys and begin unlocking the padlocks holding down the lid. With them all unlocked he removed them and lifted off the lid. I was a bit of a surprise to see my wife stand up from the inside of the trunk, even more of a surprise that she was was wearing the short skirted bustier outfit that she had selected for the assistant to wear.

After an initial moment of embarrassment, she asked where her clothes were. She was told that someone backstage would be removing them from the mannequin, so that they would be ready for her after she had finished being a magician's assistant for the evening.

I have never seen my wife looking sexier or more pleased to be the centre of attention.