"Thanks Tyler and now back to the east side and I hope Quinn has been made a little more comfortable...."

"Yes thanks Jackie, feeling a little more normal now.." 

The feed cut across to Quinn still in the empty theatre. She was smiling sheepishly, but back in one piece wrapped in a robe. 

"So you know I have to ask, how did he do it? It looked so much more real than we are used to seeing ? " 

"Jackie I don't know what to tell you. And I had the best seat in the house. All Matt will say is it's magic..."

The shot pulled back to show Matt who simply smiled enigmatically. 

"But you were in the trick, you must have some idea what happened. And the, er, parts , we er, could see, looked very real. Not like fake plastic at all..?

Quinn paused and smiled nervously again. "I really don't know what to tell you. It felt very strange, I could see my hand where it had no business being. Obviously you guys got a better view at home .." she shot a glance at her camera man..." but it was clearly one heck of an illusion Jackie."

"Indeed. So we have a couple of minutes Matt, do you have something else you can show us while Quinn is with you ? 

"I do, I do"

Matt walked over to a simple looking prop. A raised platform that was easy to see under. On it were two vertical poles maybe a couple of feet apart and five feet or so tall. "Quinn... "

Quinn took a visible deep breath and walked over to the platform. She stepped up and stood between the poles facing the camera. She took a moment as if calming her nerves.

"So what do you have in store for me this time ? " Quinn tried to sound a bit put out, even though she was quite excited on the inside

"Well I thought we would take a look at another classic that everyone thinks they can see right through. Hopefully we can do a version that's much harder to explain."

Matt held out his hand and waited. Quinn took another deep breath as if steeling herself and then undone the belt to her robe and shrugged it off, handing it over. Quinn breathed in. She could almost feel Brad's salacious lens crawling over her as it revealed she was now clad in a small red bikini. Whilst not scandalously proportioned it was rather more Sports Illustrated than breakfast news.

"I can't help but notice you has me in a rather minimal outfit .." Quinn sounded slightly sour which elicited a sort of cheer up hand signal from Brad behind the camera.

"Indeed. And it suits you. But seriously the costumes do serve a purpose. We are in the entertainment business and don't apologise for that. But in this case especially the traditional method that everyone knows revolves entirely around a rather specific and in truth incongruous outfit which hides the very mundane secret to the trip. So whilst we do like to have great looking assistants as part of the show the outfit also helps to prove that we aren't cheating."

"if you say so..ok what happens next ? " 

"OK if you can shuffle your feet out to make sure you have a good balance.... good.... then grab the bars alongside you ... this can make people feel a little disorientated..."

Matt invited Brad to walk all the way around Quinn and the platform, ostensibly to prove a lack of mirrors and the like but in the process giving Brad and the viewers of the bikini clad Quinn from every angle. Meanwhile Matt placed a thin wooden shelf  ontop of the poles. It was about five feet long and a couple of feet wide bar in the centre where a cut out section allowed it to fit behind Quinn's neck. A small section clipped in front to complete the prop encircling her neck in wood. Matt arranged her chestnut hair .

"Now the fun part..."

Matt picked up a small wooden box and held it for the camera to inspect. It had a door on the front and no bottom and it was obvious where it was going to fit into the trick. 

"Hold on tight Quinn, we dont want you to fall over when things get weird... " 

Quinn gulped, she hoped not too theatrically. She nodded and tightened her grip on the poles. Matt lowered the box over her head, leaving the front door open.

"Ready ?" 

"I guess" 

Matt closed the door totally enclosing Quinn's head in wood. She took a deep breath even though she was expecting it. She then felt Matt slowly spin the whole apparatus round to show there was nothing hidden anywhere. She felt like she could feel the camera linger salaciously over her bikini clad form too.  Without further explanation Matt picked up a solid metal blade.  He held it up to show it was the full width of the box and the same depth too. Then without ceremony shoved it under the box and presumably through Quinn's neck witha dull thud. 

Quinn shuddered. Even knowing what was about to happen the blade was a shock. A choking feeling, then a wave a pleasure that made her weak at the knees. She took another grip on the posts. 

"Now Quinn was worried about her outfit. But if she was wearing a big demure dress with a high front everyone would be assuming she was just leaning back behind the prop outfit. Especially when we do this..."

Matt grasped the box and slid it to left past Quinn's left shoulder and the pole until it was resting on the shelf with nothing beneath bar fresh air. Matt invited Brad to allow the camera to see all angles, slowly panning around the bikini clad body from the front and behind. He zoomed in to see the gentle rise and fall of Quinn's breasts and stomach as she took steady breaths, there no doubt there  was any way the body was fake. Brad and Charlie exchanged om my god expressions. Brad was struggling to hold the camera steady.

Matt smiled and picked up the box and carried it several feet to the left where he set in on  pedestal, a small platform about waist high on a single slender leg sticking up from a base on little wheels.

"Now some more important differences. Hopefully you can all see that that is a real body over there. No hiding behind a trench coat for us. ...  Now usually the " seperated head is placed on a big box with a funny pattern underneath... to allow a second assistant to hide behind some mirrors. Very often the pretty victim wears sunglasses to hide the fact the two don't look alike. Well.... no box... no mirrors ... and no sunglasses!"

Matt lifted the box away and took a step back revealing Quinn's head. She was still, eyes closed. After a pause that seemed to go on for ever she opened her eyes and smiled. She looked down and from side to side, then back to her right where the rest of her was still standing between the metal posts.

"Oh my .." 

Matt twisted Quinn's head on its stand through three hundred and sixty degrees leaving her slightly side on before returning to the main part of the trick and giving her body a twirl once more. 

"Quinn .. Quinn are you ok? How do you feel. That's amazing. I can't believe what I am seeing!"

"To be honest Jackie nor can I , and I am right here not back in the studio. I feel ok. A little odd but ok...."

"So you still saying you don't know how its done? Its hard to imagine this didn't take a lot of planning and rehearsal!"

"Honestly Jackie I truely do not have a clue. ..Matt can you give away a bit of the secret perhaps?"

Matt smiled.

"Well its not a fake head... or a fake body... I think we can all agree............................ So I guess it must be magic!"

"Hmm... maybe ! Now that everyone is sure that my body is really over there in a teeny weeny bikini maybe we could get me back together and a little modesty? "

Matt nodded and wheeled Quinn's head over placing it a few feet in front of her body. He picked up a black cloth and draped it over the main part of the trick obscuring Quinn's body. 

"Well you look amazing from here in the studio Quinn, even in pieces. Now where can people see the show? "

"Well Matt and his real team are here all this week, there aren't many seats left. matt tells me neither of these tricks are in the show proper, but to expect something even more mind blowing..................." Matt swept the black cloth away with a flourish revealing the metal posts now empty, Quinn's body nowhere to be seen. Although Brad did notice that there was a red bikini on the floor of the trick....." So if you are lucky enough to get a seat I am sure you will have a blast"

"Whooah" 

"What ?"  Quinn looked puzzled then gathered herself. 

"The traffic on the freeway is clear now . A couple of queues west bound on Main but overall a good day on the roads. Still clear skies out there so should be a great day. Quinn for MGTV saying goodbye for now and hopefully I will be back in one piece for the final segment. Jackie.."

"Wow Quinn, Is she ? Is she ok .. I ... Are we .. OK... ok .... so after the break our final guest will be....                                                                                    

"Oh my god Quinn thats so ho.. I mean that was  I mean you were amaz.. are you ok ? "

Brad had dropped the camera and run over to Quinn, well what remained of her.

"Did you get what you wanted? " Quinn asked in a frosty tone. 

"Oh yeah. I mean yeah I thought you would be good for ratings in a bikini but that was something else. You are so hot ! "

"But the magic was impressive you mean..." Quinn sighed. "You think so little of me as a journalist all you wanted to do was get me in something skimpy ? "

"No of course not. No. But you did look amazing. And I thought you were enjoying it to be honest ? " 

"Brad I did enjoy it, or I would not have done it. That's not the point. The point is you didn't just ask. I know I am a rookie in front of the cameras, I know you have to do your time on promo pieces, lost cats and shopping mall events. I don't expect to be anchor or investigating national scandals from day 1. If you had asked me and explained it would be a first rung on the ladder and laughed about the outfits I would possibly have agreed. Helped plan it.  But you couldn't. No you had to trick me and corner me into something that a lot of people would not want to do. That's sad this day and age Brad. That's all I am saying ...."

Brad looked at his shoes and then walked off, mumbling an apology. Charlie checked his watch and hurried over.

"Sorry Quinn, only two minutes to your sign out and the end of the show." 

"Ok lets get ready can I have some proper clothes and  get put back together and I will sign off to camera "

"Er Quinn... "

"What ? "

Charlie turned Quinn around on her stand, so she could see the rest of the trick standing empty behind her.

"Where's .. Matt ? MATT ? "

Charlie checked the time again, wheeled Quinn to one side in front of a poster for the show, grabbed the camera as Brad was still nowhere to be seen and counted down for Quinn.

"So over to our roving reporter Quinn one last time in theatre land before we say goodbye. Quinn... "

The viewers saw Quinn in close up in front of the poster.

"Hi Jackie yes I am still enjoying the magic. At least this way everyone is thinking about the magic trick and not my bikini I guess ? " Quinn laughed and back in the studio Jackie laughed along nervously.

"Quinn are you really telling us none of this was rehearsed ? It looks so real" 

"Trust me Jackie I wish I did know what was going to be going on but I am as in the dark as the rest of you.. and when I say I am still enjoying the magic...."

On cue Charlie zoomed out revealing Quinn to still be just a head on a slender pole.

"Oh my Quinn you are still....how? why ? "

"I guess all I can tell you Jackie, its magic. Just a reminder its a good days on the roads, traffic flowing nicely on the freeway and clearing up through downtown. Dry and sunny out there so enjoy the rest of your day. But come and grab those final tickets to the show. Its smart, sexy, mind blowing. And you know what, you might even get to see a bit more of me , because...                       I quit"





                                                                                              ......................             ..................               .................

"Oh man I need to see that" Lisa grinned. 

"I guess it will be all over youtube you know...when you are... have a moment"

Quinn couldn't help but laugh. And wonder not for the first time what she was letting herself in for. 

"It was quite something. You must feel great calling that guy on being such a pig." Jordana had seen the show.

"It was fun, and its a great opportunity. I can make enough from a couple of gigs a month to more than replace my salary from the paper. Which means I have the safety net to go freelance and write the stories I really want to right.............what ? "

Lisa was giggling. "Its kind of odd that this mad house is the steady option to let you pursue the risky career hun, thats all I am saying."