"So, it's a sad fact of life that I'm a performer," I admitted with some truth to my audience this fine evening. It was a mixed crowd, and I barely paid them any mind as I went about delivering my own entertainment. "And with that in mind, due to the nature of my show, I tend to receive some doubters as to the honesty of my works." I shook my had in mock sadness. "So tonight I'm going to start off by doing something about that!" I gestured behind me and my first prop for the day rolled out from behind the curtain. It was two poles standing upright and a long thin pole running between them, the whole thing going about eight feet from one end to the other.

At first glance, it looked like nothing. Which I suppose was the point. It was simple in its presentation and with nothing to whatsoever to hide from the audience - or the participating volunteers.

"Now, before the show, I invited some ladies who expressed their disbelief in me to come and participate if they're willing. I see them now, so why don't you all come up?"

The six I had chosen all came up, and I allowed the audience time to appreciate my choices even as I waited for them to arrange themselves to be presentable.

The first was a tall brunette and brown eyes with her hair cut short around her head. She wore earrings that wouldn't interfere with what I had planned, and a black bikini that crossed over her breasts before looping around her neck. The second was shorter, playing up the girlish streak despite being an adult, her two-piece swimsuit white with pink frills just added to the part she was embracing.

Third was a well-endowed woman who walked with a strut in her step, her long black hair nicely complimenting her brown bikini, the front of which was wide open to allow her ample assets to be on display while still being supported. Right behind her was a slightly younger blonde woman who had tied her hair up behind her and wore a simple black strap over her chest to match the one over her hips.

Fifth, another blonde woman, this time in a blue two-piece, her hair loose and with her hand on her hip like she wasn't worried at all. Lastly, the tallest one was a black-haired woman with long flowing hair and a crimson tie-off for her chest and bottom.

"Thank you all," I drew attention back to myself with a smile and a clap. "Now, these fine young woman have all agreed by coming up here to participate in a thing of my choice, all the same. If they go through with it, they win a nice prize for their confidence. However, if they choose to withdraw, they will be required to pay a penalty."

The audience knew what sort of things I could do with a penalty, so having so many willing to risk it at once was a treat.

"Now, before I get these ladies set up," I said as I began to flick my wrist, with each motion a silver hoop falling into my other hand, "Each of you will need to put this on around your neck," I informed them. "Don't worry, there's nothing odd about them, they are simply there to make sure I don't mess up.

Each of the six took a hoop and examined them. They found that each would open and close, and that there was nothing otherwise odd about them. As they put them on, they did however, resize themselves perfectly, rather than leaving gaps around the skin.

Once that was done, I moved on to the next step. "I will now need you all to stand in front of this bar here," I indicated the prop I had introduced the trick with, "with the hoop touching the bar itself. For those of you who are too short," I pulled out appropriately sized blocks for people to stand on so they were all at the same height. It was only polite, really.

The half-dozen quickly negotiated an order, and arranged themselves appropriately, each hoop connecting with a small 'tink' as they got into place.

"Now," I bowed, "I will now proceed to cut off each woman's head in turn," I pulled a circular blade out of my back pocket, a blade which obviously wasn't there before and set it into a small slot in the horizontal pole to the left of the audience. "In order to win, the woman much allow herself to be decapitated." I slid a finger across my throat to indicate what would happen. "If the woman decides that she won't risk being in a fake trick, she can simply pull away from the bar. It will take a small effort to prevent accidentally losing, but I won't stop anyone from doing so as long as they accept that they will be getting the penalty."

"Are you ladies ready?" I asked.

They all nodded, each turning to get a look at the blade. I stepped back and it began to spin up, quietly reaching a point where it was just a shimmering blur. It advanced on the first woman, the first to the stage, and she held her head up high as though expecting this to all be a trick.

It wasn't.

The spinning blade bit into her shocked neck, cutting it open instantly and preventing her from saying anything as her throat was sliced in half.

The others behind her were not so lucky, each staring in fear and surprise as the blade finished its work, leaving behind the lifeless head of the first victim hanging from the silver hoop, and her body falling to the floor.

"AHH!" "Oh my god!" The others started screaming in fear as I turned the head to face the audience properly, the spinning blade stopping for a moment to allow me to make a presentation presentable.

"Our first winner," I said as I turned to the other five. "Anyone else want to give it a try? After all, there's already one dead body on the floor. What's another?"

"Hell no!" The young woman with the girlish looks struggled for a moment, then broke free. "I won't!"

"And that's a penalty!" I said as she froze in place, fear in her eyes. "Don't worry, we'll wait until everyone has made their choice before doing that."

The next in line was the tall black-haired woman. She looked at the blade as it slowly advanced on her, and when it was a finger width away from her, her courage broke, and she pulled herself free. One winner, two losers, I didn't say. The audience could count.

The fourth in line was the tall blonde in blue, who stared me in the eyes as the blade and I got closer. She stood her ground even as the blade cut off her head, and I pulled her hair out of the way, her eyes growing dark and her body joining the other one on the floor.

The other two couldn't take it and broke away.

"And that's that!" I said with a clap as I had the losers off to one side, each staring the bodies of the winners. I could tell, they were afraid. Afraid that if that was what winning was, what was losing going to be like?

Also, my magic prevented them from fleeing, there was that. But I wasn't about to advertise that fact. "Now, for the winners!" I took the two heads, still strapped to the horizontal rod, and slid them closer to each other. They both faced out to the audience, faces slack with no life in them. I snapped my fingers between them and with a rush, breath and colour came back to them!

"Ladies!" I said from behind them. "The two of you have won! For proving that you were willing to put your money where your mouth was, and letting me cut off your heads, your reward is simple. Despite being, you know, separated from your bodies," I snapped my fingers again, "you will have full control over your whole self as though you were intact and not cut at the neck." I watched as the tho lifeless bodies slowly struggled to stand, then succeeded.

"Holy!" the blonde said as she stared at her back. "How did you do that?"

"Magic!" I replied as I picked up her head and handed it to her body. She took a moment to adjust, feeling herself and her open neck in confusion before accepting it. I then did the same with the other winner, who in a moment of daring, stuck her fingers up into her own neck, allowing her fingertips to be seen inside her mouth. No gag reflex, that's for sure.

"You two, feel free to enjoy the rest of the show in whatever way you want. Then, come see me after the show so I can fix you up." It was an honest offer. Besides, I had the losers still.

The two winners carefully stepped off the stage and into the audience and I knew I would see them later.

"And as for you," I turned to my last four, the prop behind me rolling under its own power back behind the stage. "I suppose it's time for your penalty."

There was a pregnant pause in the air as I grinned wide enough to be unreal. I raised my fingers and savoured the moment. Then I snapped it.

Four silver rings, forgotten in the moment, each around the neck of a worried loser. Four silver rings that they had examined to determine if there was a trick to them or not, and found nothing. But I was a Magician. An Evil magician, and I don't play fair.

I snapped my fingers, and in four rings, four wires snapped tight. Four necks were cleanly cut - no need for the macabre here - and four heads fell from the bodies.

"The penalty is this," I announced as the four bodies stood up on their own accord, under my spell. "I will use you for the evening as I see fit! And your pretty little heads will be on display, watching as I do so. And then, when I'm done, I'll send your bodies on their way until dawn comes. And if you're lucky, you'll even be attached to the right one. So first!" I raised my voice as the four headless women surrounded me like puppets on my strings. "Let's prove I have control! Strip!"