“Ladies and gentlemen, we come to the final section of the evening's entertainment. I hope you enjoyed Theresa's cut and restored rope routine. Usually I would not allow anyone else to perform magic in one of my shows, but in this case it was necessary, because I needed to change into my costume for this dangerous escape, which I have left to the end of the evening for reasons that will become obvious.”

The woman who had been host to the magical spectacle paused to allow the audience to appreciate her changed attire. Most of the evening she had been dressed in a gown that enhanced her figure and through a high slit in the skirt permitted the occasion glimpse of a toned right leg. She now presented herself in a mid blue latex catsuit.

“I have told you, this upcoming escape is dangerous, but those making bold claims should be willing to prove them.”

The curtain opened to show a mannequin standing below a large contraption that consists of a pair of spiked rectangles, as you might see above a table of death illusion, hinged at the centred and held horizontal by a mechanism above them, which featured a large clock dial that gave the impression of governing if, or more likely when, the spiked beds fell, sandwiching whatever (or whoever) was below. The clock face was set at ten seconds. On a cue, there was an ominous ticking and the hand on the dial shuddered quickly to the top. The ticking stopped and there was a moment of hush, before a click signalled the release of the mechanism, allowing the beds of spikes to fall. A second later they crashed into the mannequin which shattered.

The awestruck silence in the auditorium lasted a full five seconds before, the first person began to clap. The magicienne gestured for calm after a further ten seconds. “Of course, while that is impressive; it will be more impressive if it is me standing in the place and I successfully escape in the ninety seconds that the timer will be set to. While the technicians reset the death trap I shall look for a couple of audience members to see fair play and supervise me being shackled and cuffed into position.”

On stage a pair of stagehands begin to haul on a rope to raise one of the beds of spikes back into position. A third removed the remnants of the mannequin from the area and swept the fragments that were not on the base where the mannequin had stood to the back of the stage.

The magicienne looked out into the audience to see who was volunteering to help put her life in peril. She ignored those that were standing single and picked a couple and called for them to make their way to the stage.

While the volunteers were on their way, the magician moved to greet them at the top of the steps that went up to the stage. The stagehands had succeeded in pulling the first bed of spikes until it locked back into the machinery above. They moved onto take hold of the rope that would pull the second bed of spikes back to its starting point; they paused to allow the third stagehand to lever a section of plastic that had been the front of the mannequin's torso from the spikes, before pulling on the rope.

“Welcome, to my stage! And who do I have the pleasure of putting my life in the hands of tonight?” The latex clad magician pointed the microphone she had in her hand at the woman of the couple.

“I'm Daphne and this is my husband, Bob.”

“And why did you volunteer?”

“Well; it seemed that the other people who came up, had a good time, even if they were mystified. I didn't volunteer before, because I did not want to be the victim of whatever illusion you planned. But when you said that it was an escape, I knew I would just be a helping hand and get to see whatever happened from close at hand.”

“How do you know it's going to me doing the escaping?”

Daphne visibly paled. “You aren't going to put me in the way of those things?” She eyed the spiked rectangles fearfully.

“Of course, not. But you are going to be responsible for more than just looking on, once I am shackled in place.”

“Am I?” She answered in a tone that suggested that she was beginning to regret the impulse to volunteer.

“It's nothing dangerous, but you may find it a heavy responsibility.” Daphne smiled nervously; she expected to watched the magician being bound and to check that the shackles and such were secure, then she expected to stand back and watch from somewhere that would be out of danger, but closer than the front row. “Before we get that far, we'll need to get the fetters on and then chain me into position.”

A stagehand brought forward a small wheeled platform, similar to the one that the mannequin had stood on, except this one had a waist high pillar on each side. On the inside of each pillar were attached two sturdy rings; one at ankle height and the other at the top. A second stagehand brought forward some complicated restraints.

The magicienne took the first. She showed that it was a chain, as long as the distance between the platform's pillars, with a broad leather belt in the middle and restraints like a handcuff halfway between the belt and the ends. “This one is quite simple. The belt goes round my waist and will be padlocked in place by Bob. Then my wrists will be put into the cuffs which are more than my finger's length from the end and the belt.” The Stagehand held up the other chain on which hung some more cuffs in the same positions as the handcuffs. “The second chain is simpler the cuffs go round my shins just above my ankles; which will again be padlocked into place by Bob. With these chains, cuffs and belt fitted, the ends of the chains will padlocked to the rings you see on the insides of the pillars; again by Bob. The padlocks Bob will be using are in this bag.” This statement coincides with Bob being presented with a clear plastic carrier bag that seems to be laden with padlocks in their sealed packing. “Each time Bob applies a padlock, he will hand the keys to his wife, the lovely, but a little nervous, Daphne, who will put the keys on this keyring, so that everyone knows that there is only one set of keys and exactly where they are.”

“Once I am chained between the pillars on the platform, The platform will be moved, so that I am in the same position that the mannequin was. I will allow Daphne and Bob a small amount of time to check that everything is exactly as it was before I was moved. When I am ready, Bob and Daphne will move to spots that they see marked on the floor so that they are out of danger. A stagehand will bring forward a paper screen, so that should the worst happen, you will not witness the grizzly sight of me being slammed between two spiked boards. But I won't be able to escape without you seeing me sneak away, because that spotlight on the stand back there with cast my shadow on the screen.”

“For obvious reasons, I don't get to practice this escape, as much as I'd prefer, so I have a back-up plan, in case things aren't going as well as I think they should. Daphne, you are my back-up plan this evening. If, at any point, I call for the keys, go up to the screen and thrust your hand through it so that I can get at the keys. Do you think you can do that?”

Daphne replied with a nervous nod.

“Two things are very important. First, punch the keys through the screen at the marked circle; there have been some perforations put into the screen there, so that it is easier for you to push the keys through and they are more likely to be in a position where I can grab them. Second, and more importantly, hold the keys by the fob and don't let go until I am pulling them from your grasp; I don't want them dropping on the floor, where I won't be able to get at them.”

“Do you both understand what I am asking of you?”

Both Bob and Daphne nodded and said, “Yes.” The audience could not hear what they said, because the magician had passed the microphone, she had held while the couple were introduced, to a stagehand.

The process of chaining the magicienne to the pillars on the platform went exactly as she had described, but she prompted the couple to do what she wanted at the right time, mainly to keep the interest of the audience. Soon Bob had a bag full of the empty shells of padlock packaging and Daphne had a keyring full of the keys that would open the padlocks that held the magician standing arms and feet spread on the platform.

The magician was pushed into place and the wheels on the platform locked. The screen was brought in and rotated so that everyone could see that there was nobody hidden behind it. As it was put in place the spotlight at the rear of stage lit up casting her shadow on the screen. A stagehand guided the volunteer couple to do the final checks, before taking them to the marked spots on the stage. He took care to point out the circle marked on the screen where Daphne should push the keys, if they were called for.

“Okay, my time starts in three, two, one, NOW!” The timer at the top of the release mechanism ticked, paused and ticked further. Behind the screen the magician bent at the waist until her head was near her shins. After about fifteen seconds, she raised her body, evidently breathing hard. She took about five seconds to catch her breath, then bent down again. Ten seconds of tension later, she raised her body again and then raised her knee and pointed her foot, to show that she had released her shin from the shackle.

The next twenty seconds saw the release of her second shin; it seemed that having the first one free enables her to bend down more comfortably. The magicienne stood back up and twisted in belt so that she facing the screen, instead of in profile. The shadow of her torso shortened as she bent to attempted to free her wrist from the cuff that held it to the chain. It took another twenty seconds to uncuff her wrist and demonstrate it was free.

“Daphne! Bring me the keys! NOW!” The magician yelled. In a tone that seemed to be her talking to herself, she added, “I knew I should have added an extra thirty seconds!”

The volunteer took a couple of seconds to reach the screen and thrust the hand holding the key-fob, from which dangled nine sets of padlock keys, through the circle marked in the centre of the screen. The shadow was not easily seen, because Daphne was in the way, but those on the side of the auditorium that Daphne faced could see that the shadow of the magician's torso shortened again as she leaned towards the keys.

A second later, the magician shouted a brief expletive as a shadow dropped from where keys should have been, followed by a thud as the bunch hit the floor. An expression of shock appeared on Daphne's face,as she realised that it she appeared to have let go of the keys prematurely. This look turned to panic, when the magicienne grabbed her wrist and pulled. With a stumble Daphne burst through the framed paper of the screen, where she was embraced by the magician as the final seconds ticked down louder.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the audience as they had a last glimpse of the magician hugging the volunteer to her, shadowed on the torn paper of the screen, then the mechanism above gave a final click and the spotlight at the back of the stage was extinguished.

The beds of spikes swung down and crashed together. The wind from this knocked over the screen.

An announcement played. “Ladies and gentlemen, Something has gone very wrong. The emergency services have been called. Please remain in your seats, so as to not impede their access to the stage; and they may want to question you as witnesses.”

There was uproar in the auditorium. Shortly, about a minute later, a pair of women dressed as police officers entered the back of the audience area and moved up to stage, the more senior of the two accepted a microphone from a stagehand.

“Evening, ladies and gentlemen, before we get down to the business of resolving what happened here, we had better introduce ourselves.” She handed the microphone to the other officer. Then, in a set of moves that took no more than ten seconds, Pulled the cap from her head and threw it spinning to the back of the stage, ripped open and shed her jacket and shirt and pulled off her break-away trousers. Once more in her evening dress, she reclaiming the microphone and said, “I have been your magician for this evening. And this is my unsuspecting volunteer, Daphne.” In a repeat of the moves that the magicienne had made, Daphne, throw off the costume, but instead of the expected return to the clothes she had been wearing when she volunteered, she was wearing the mid-blue latex cat-suit that the magician had been wearing for the stunt.