Just a matter of trust
By Paul
Valerie was a bit worried about Robert's call she received that morning. He was a good friend of hers, maybe even a very good friend, but something about him was both charming and scary at the same time; maybe this was the reason why he didn't ever be nothing more than a friend. In the last two or three weeks, moreover, he almost vanished, he missed most of the university lessons, was unreachable by phone or by other means, and always answered evasively when Valerie or someone else asked him what was up. And now he called her, saying the he needed her help for some kind of project he was working on. Valerie was worried, but she also was very curious, so she agreed. They met after dinner. While he was driving, Robert refused steadily to tell her anything about his project, and Valerie's was even more worried. But she trusted Robert, they had known each other for years.
Robert's car stopped under a building in a outskirts residential zone. The lift carried them to the upper floor, and they entered a flat. When Robert turned on the lights, Valerie was very surprised. They were in a very large room, with walls almost completely covered with mirrors, and several objects of different shapes and measures, covered with white cloth. Robert escorted her to a small coach, saying, "welcome to my humble abode."
"This place is yours," she asked, sitting down.
"Not exactly. It's of a distant relative of mine. He retired and committed it to me. I've been lucky."
"But what is this place? What are these covered objects? And why I'm here?" Valerie was getting nervous.
Robert reached a drink cabinet saying, "I'll tell you everything. But one thing at a time, please, let's just say that this flat is sort of a lab."
"It doesn't seem like a lab."
"You're only saying the main room, and I said 'sort of a lab'. Be patient.", he said serving her a glass of white wine.
"Thanks. But go on, please."
"I'll make you a strange question. What do you think of magic?"
"What do you mean with 'magic'? Occultism or illusions?"
"Well, the borderline is somewhat fuzzy. Tell me what do you think of illusions?"
"A really strange question. In some way I find it very entertaining. You should remember we have gone to a show or two, some time ago. But very often, when I go to a show, I get disappointed. Too often, even if I don't know how the trick works, I manage to guess it by intuition. Like the 'sawing a woman in half' illusion, the girl is in a box, and obviously it is the box that hides the effect."
"I agree completely with you. I always thought so", Robert said with a soft irony.
An idea took place in Valerie's mind, and she said: "Let me guess, this place, and my presence here, are related to the illusion art. Am I wrong?"
"No. You guessed right. But that's not all. What do you think of me, if I say you that here I can do real magic, that I can perform impossible tasks?"
"I'd think that you're joking with me. or that you're crazy."
"Val. Do you trust me? Do you think I'm kidding or I'm crazy?"
She looked in his eyes and answered, "If I didn't trust you, I'd never come here. No, you're not kidding, and you're not crazy. Maybe a bit weird, but not crazy."
"Thanks."
"What do you mean, saying that you can perform impossible tasks?"
"I can wriggle the illusions main concept. no boxes, no other covers, nothing that can hide the effect, as you said."
"You're scaring me. Do you want me to be your assistant'?"
"I'll never force you. I'm only asking, but the decision is yours."
"Why are you asking to me?"
"Because I know you, I know that you can accept and like this situation. Give me a chance."
"What will you do to me? Will you saw me in half?"
"If you accept, we will choose an illusion together. Will you give it a try? Will you trust me?"
"I don't know, is it dangerous?"
"I never would have asked you to come, if there was even a minimal risk."
"No, you wouldn't have."
"So?"
"I still don't know, I'm scared, but also I find all this fascinating, even a little bewitching."
"You can quit anytime. I'll never force you to do anything."
"Ok. I'll decide as soon as I see what you want to do to me."
"Why don't you choose what we do, what would you like to try?"
"Oh. Maybe you can saw me in half. No, maybe later, let me think. Well, there's something that I will want to try. Even if it's really spooky."
"Just tell me. Don't be scared."
"A guillotine, or something similar,” the girl's voice faltered a little.
"Do you want to be beheaded?"
Valerie just nodded.
Robert smiled and said: "Just follow me." They moved to the other side of the room. Robert removed a cloth revealing a 12-foot tall, French guillotine. Valerie, terrified, watched Robert pull up the blade and then let it fall. Attached to the guillotine, there was a wooden bench the 'victim' should lie on.
Valerie noticed that the upper part of the neck stocks was missing.
"Are you sure?" Robert asked.
"Not really. But I've come this far, and I'll try to go on. What should I do?" she asked.
Robert pulled the blade up again, blocking it, and said: "Just lie back and put your neck in the stock. You can even lie on your back, looking up, so you can see the blade fall, but it could be a strong sensation. Then just wait without panicking, I'll do the rest. You trust me, right?"
"If I didn't trust you, I'd have fled some time ago". Valerie watched the death apparatus, terrified and bewitched. Then she laid herself on the bench, looking down. After a second she said, "No. I want to see my fate coming", and turned herself over onto her back. While she was putting the neck in the stock, she saw the glittering of the blade above her, thinking that she didn't understand why she was doing this.
Robert came near her and said, "Think about it, in a few second that blade will fall on your neck, beheading you. Are you sure you want to do it?"
"Don't make me wait too long, or I'll change my mind. Please let the blade fall," she answered.
Robert held the rope tied to the blade, unblocking it. Valerie breathed deeply. Then Robert released his grip on the rope.
Valerie saw the blade falling quickly toward her, she was sure that the blade would have killed her. Then she felt a strange shivering sensation through her neck, saw her prospective moving, and, for a moment, saw in a mirror that her head was falling. Then all went dark.
Robert saw the blade falling and piercing in the girl's neck, covering itself with blood. And saw Valerie's head falling to the floor. He waited a few moments, then lifted the young girl's beheaded body and put her on a chair. He picked up her head and put it on her neck stump. The blood red line that divided the head from the neck vanished.
Valerie regained consciousness giving a scream, before she realized she was still alive.
"How do you feel?" Robert asked.
Valerie waited a moment, while her breathing slowed down, and answered, "On one hand it was the most frightful experience in my whole life, but on the other hand, it's been so exciting that I'm waiting to do that again, or to do something similar."
"So you want to go on?" Robert asked, smiling.
"Of course. But let me wait a few minutes. I'm still a bit shaken. I didn't think that you would really beheaded me, that my head would have fallen."
"You've been really brave. Now you can understand what I meant when I said 'perform impossible tasks'?"
"Completely. I won't ask you how you did it, I believe you won't say."
"Not now, maybe later, in the future, if you want to keep helping me."
"You can gamble on it. If you want to try something new, I'm ready."
"Do you want to be sawn in half? Or do you prefer something else?"
"You mean really sawn in half, didn't you? Well, we can try."
Robert walked to another apparatus and removed the cloth covering it. It was an horizontal table, 8 feet long, and above it there was a large circular blade, about 3 feet in diameter, held by a articulated prop and fixed to an electric motor.
Valerie stared at the complex table, trying not to fear it.
"What do you think of it?" Robert asked.
"Not bad, really", joked Valerie, "It's frightful enough. Of course there'll be no boxes and nothing else between me and the blade? Am I right?" she asked.
"Exactly, and this could create a little problem. These illusions are projected to work without any cover of any sort."
"Yes, I know. And so?"
"No covers, including the clothes. If you don't mind, you should uncover your stomach". Robert felt a bit embarrassed.
"I see no problem about this. We are alone, and, as I said, I trust you." Valerie opened her shirt and removed it, uncovering a black bra.
Robert shyly looked at her. Then the girl asked: "Should I lie there?" pointing to the table.
"Yes. Are you sure?"
"So-so, I'm a bit fearful, but it won't be much worse than being beheaded." Valerie lied on the table, under the blade.
Robert moved near the prop and flipped a switch. The blade started to turn. "Wait a moment", Valerie said.
"What's up? Don't tell me you have changed your mind?", Robert stopped the blade.
"No, don't worry. But I have got an idea,” she said.
"Tell me." "Do you have to saw me at the waist?" she asked.
"It's the natural choice, but I'm not obliged. What are you thinking about?" he asked.
"Can you move the saw over my chest? I feel it would be more exciting that way."
"It's a good idea. I like it, and I can do it. But there's still the problem, well, of the clothes."
"There's no problem then," Valerie said. She sat up and removed her bra, being naked down to the waist, and lied down again.
Robert, pleasantly surprised, looked her for a moment, then he moved the blade above Valerie's chest, and again the blade started to turn. Robert lowered the blade, moving it nearer to Valerie. The girl watched the blade above her with fear. Robert lowered the blade again, it almost touched Valerie's naked breasts. Robert said, "Maybe you'll feel something."
"Pain?" she almost stopped breathing.
"Something like a soft, painful sensation. Do you want to quit?"
"Not now, but try to be as gentle as you can."
"Don't worry. Ready?"
Valerie nodded, and Robert lowered the blade, which pierced in the girl's breast, blood stained the blade. Valerie felt the blade tearing her flesh, and wailed. The blade sank into her, sawing the young girl’s body, until it touched the table under her, ending its deadly task. The steel disc divided Valerie's body side to side. Robert raised the blade back to the starting position and stopped it. A large wound tore the girl's breasts, but it wasn't bleeding too much. Robert moved near to Valerie's head, smiled to her and caressed her cheek.
Valerie, confused, smiled back.
Then Robert held her arms and pulled. The upper part of Valerie's body parted from the lower part. Valerie was astonished: she was really sawn in half. She could still feel her legs and abdomen, but she also felt that they were separated from her; and she was feeling the wound that was dividing her. Robert rejoined the two halves, he gently touched the wound on her breast and the wound vanished.
Valerie felt she was again in one piece and breathed in relief.
"So, what do you think about it?" Robert asked while she was standing up.
"It was beautiful and dreadful. Two times I should have been dead. It was an intense sensation, exciting, almost sensual."
"It could be even more intense, if you think you can bear it."
"I should want it. I'm eager to continue."
"I cannot ask more. Do you have any desire?"
"I should choose a way for you to kill me?", she smiled. "If you want."
"Well. I've a little desire. Could you stab my heart, like a human sacrifice? I'm yet, let's say, properly attired", Valerie said with a bit of malice, eyeing her own breast.
"Ok, I'll do. I see that you're really starting to enjoy all this", Robert said, walking to a shelf.
"I couldn't have believed it, but I do like it. You said that you can make my sensations more intense, didn't you?"
"Yes. I can make them more real, more bright". Robert took a long dagger from the shelf.
"Then do it. I want the more intense sensations you can give to me".
Valerie saw the weapon in Robert's hand.
"Are you sure? You'll fell like you're really dying. It could be terrible."
"Or terribly exciting. Yes, I'm sure."
"Ok, but think about it, the cold steel of this blade soon will pierce your breast. Do you want to lie down?"
"Can I stand up?”
"No problem."
"Then come behind me and embrace me."
Robert walked behind Valerie, and held her at the waist.
The girl said: "Now I'm ready to die in your arms. Hit me when you want, but slowly." Valerie turned her head back, looking for Robert's mouth, and kissed him passionately. Robert softly caressed her nipples, then moved the blade's tip near her left breast, without breaking the kiss. He pushed the dagger a bit, grazing her skin. A drop of blood ran down her body, she shivered.
Bit by bit Robert pushed the dagger deeper and deeper, feeling the girl's body shuddering.
Valerie felt the wound's pain, the blood pouring. The steel piercing her body, piercing her breast, piercing her flesh, caused a strange euphoria was making her tremble, but also was giving her the energy to stand the pain. The passion in their kiss grew.
The blade was slowly lacerating her breast, driven by Robert's firm hand. She felt a sharp pain, and understood that the dagger's tip touched her heart, and started piercing it. Her body trembled in agony, but Robert's embrace held her up. The dagger sank deeper. She had never felt anything similar. The blade was killing her, rending her heart; Valerie felt that her heart stop beating.
Robert pushed the dagger deeper. A last sharp pain made her shudder; the girl fainted, and felt like she was sliding toward the dark. Their lips parted. Robert lifted Valerie's dead body and put her on a chair. Then stared at her for a few moments: the dagger was still in the open wound in her blood covered breast.
With a single steady movement Robert pulled away the weapon from the girl's body. Then he put his hand on Valerie's breast, on the wound, the wound vanished.
Valerie opened her eyes, saw Robert, and stood up. They embraced and she kissed him. "I really believed I would die", she said, "but it's been wonderful."
"I liked killing you too", he said jokingly.
"I'm really tired."
"I can believe it. It's very late, and you died three times. We should go home."
"Ok. But let's come back here soon. Now I don't believe I can live without all this."
"Oh. I've got a lot of illusions to try. And we could design something new together. And sooner or later I'm going to make a show."
"You can count on me. But tell me, what should I expect for the next time?"
"Oh, I don't know. I could shoot you, or hang you, or burn your body, or saw you in eight pieces."
"Stop. Don't say more and don't tempt me. Let's do it tomorrow?"