Scissors - Chapter Seven

One year previous…

The lights in the auditorium had just clicked off signalling the end of the intermission and the resumption of the show.  The magician stood alone on stage, a single spotlight lighting him up. He removed his top hat and took a bow to the audience who applauded him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, for my next illusion I will need a volunteer from the audience.”

He cast his gaze across the dark sea of faces and pointed out at a gentleman in the audience.

“Yes, you sir in the blazer. Make your way to the stage.”

As the volunteer shuffled down the aisle the magicians assistant slid a chair across the stage which he positioned in the centre of the spotlight. He invited his guest to the stage and asked him to take a seat.

“May I ask your name, sir?” the magician asked as his volunteer sat down.

“Ah, Brian.”

“And Brian, we have never met before, have we?”

Brian indicated that they had not met, and wiped the palms of his hands on the knees of his trousers.

“Brian, please can I see your wallet?”

Brian shuffled on the chair and removed his wallet from his pocket, handing it to the magician who promptly flicked it open and removed several plastic cards.

“Ah, here we are. Your driving license.”

He dropped the wallet to the floor.

“Brian…”

Brian looked away from the discarded contents of his wallet up at the magician.

“Your photograph is ridiculous.” The magician sniggered, turning it towards the audience for a moment who laughed in agreement despite not being able to see the picture from such a distance. “Brian, I will now turn this driver’s license into every piece of identification suitable to apply for disability benefits.”

The magician took the license and tucked it into his hands, rubbing frantically before unfurling his hands to present the audience and Brian with a collection of pieces of paper. He held them up to the audience and then passed them to Brian.

“Brian, can you confirm please that these are in fact your documents?”

Brian leafed through them with disbelief. Water, Gas, Electricity, Telephone, Satellite television, Birth Certificate, Passport, Paper driving license. It was all there, and undeniably his.

Brian nodded.

“Y-yes, bu—“

“Thank you!” the magician yelled, indicating that the trick was complete and taking the documents back from Brian. The audience applauded and two attractive women dressed in the same amount of material that goes into making a handkerchief picked up the discarded contents of his wallet from the stage and swiftly guided a bemused Brian off the stage, despite his moderate protests.

*

“I just don’t understand how on Earth he managed it. He must have been to our house after we set off for the show. I just don’t understand.”

Brian was muttering about his disbelief all the way home, much to the annoyance of his girlfriend Hannah who was not only the designated driver but also the one who had paid for the tickets to the show and, was still waiting her reimbursement for Brian’s ticket.

“Brian. It’s just a trick. An illusion.” She huffed as she took a left turn and pulled the car up onto their driveway.  It had been a long drive home.

*

The magician removed his suit jacket and untucked the sheets of paper from his inside jacket, dropping them into his rucksack which lay open on his dressing table. He had a feeling the paperwork might be useful for him again at some stage.