The Magic Shop

The Magic Box





Night fell before Marcus saw his grandma and grandpa again. He had sat in the windowsill with Tofu, watching the line outside The Magic Box, curious about the show.

When the knock came at his door, Marcus knew it was his grandparents.

“We brought you something,” Charlotte said, rubbing a thumb on her crystal locket; she did that when she got anxious. “I thought skipping dinner might teach you a lesson, but this old softy here wouldn’t have it. So we compromised.”

Winston sat on the end of Marcus’s bed holding a dinner tray.

“Here you go, Son,” his grandpa said, extending the tray, which held a small plate with two slices of buttered bread and a glass of water. “At least—”

Marcus took the tray. “I’m not your son,” he droned, still staring out the window and petting Tofu mindlessly.

Winston blinked hard and turned away.

Charlotte shook her fist. “What has gotten into you, Marcus? We’re family, and your grandfather has only ever cared for you.”

Winston turned back to Marcus. “We just want you to understand how serious your behavior is. You abandoned your own flesh and blood and our livelihood. What you did was irrational and undisciplined.”

“It was dangerous,” his Charlotte added.

Marcus sat in silence for a while, gazing across the street. Someone cut in line, and a small fight broke out. “I’m sorry,” Marcus said finally. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m not used to being stuck here every day.”

Scratching Tofu under the chin, Marcus took the knotty stick from Tofu’s mouth again with the other and tossed it across the room. ”Fetch,” he said.

Tofu’s head shot up instinctively. He leapt off Marcus’s lap and chased the stick, but skidded to a halt as it struck the wall.

Marcus thought he saw sparks shoot from the wall when his TV flickered on. He looked at his side to see if he had accidentally sat on the remote control or something. Without warning, the radio began playing his favorite rock station then a high-pitched buzz filled the room. Marcus heard an electrical snap. The TV screen cracked and blackened. The radio popped and fizzled into silence. Smoke rose from the speakers.

“My TV!” Marcus leapt to his feet and rushed to examine the television. “My radio!”

Winston stood up quickly, giv his wife a concerned look, and picked up the knotty stick. Marcus patrolled back and forth between his devices.

“Marcus,” Winston said after a deep breath, almost reverently, “where did you get this?”

“My stuff just mysteriously blew up, and you’re worried about a stick?”

“Just answer him,” Charlotte snapped.

“Tofu brought it in here a few hours ago. I was too irritated to play with him, so he just sat here and chewed on it.”

Charlotte pointed at the door. “You’ve been a very naughty dog, Tofu. Downstairs—right now.” Tofu lowered his head, drooped his ears, and he meandered out of the room.

“Ellie!” Charlotte yelled, “come up here please. Right away!”

A moment later Ellie came bounding up the stairs. “What’s going on?” she asked, breathing heavily.

“My stuff’s just randomly blowing up, that’s what’s going on,” Marcus said dejectedly.

Their grandpa lifted the stick gingerly. “Where have you seen this before?”

“Seriously?” Ellie raised an eyebrow and threw her arms up. “Okay, um… outside maybe? I don’t know, and unless Marcus has started collecting sticks, I bet he doesn’t either. Did you pat down the family pet? He might—”

“This is serious, Ellie,” Charlotte said.

“Okay, I really don’t know. What’s the big deal about a stick, anyway?” Ellie paused and glared at Marcus. “Wait, did you say your stuff blew up?”

“Enough,” their grandpa said. Silence filled the room. “It’s time you two level with us. It’s very important.”

Marcus looked at Ellie, and she promptly nodded.

“Okay,” Marcus said, “This morning I saw you enter a room behind the tapestry.”

Winston cleared his throat. “Oh, that?” he said matter-of-factly. Charlotte frowned.

“After you left to run errands, we went in there to check it out. We were only in there a few minutes, and we didn’t touch anything. Tofu wandered in too, but then we got a customer, and Ellie took care of her. I called for Tofu and we closed it up. That’s all.”

“No harm done, then,” their grandpa said. He put the stick in his shirt pocket, patted it, and made for the door.

“Hold on, Grandpa,” Marcus said. “What happened to all my stuff?”

“Nothing more than a queer coincidence, Marcus.” He gave Marcus a look of pity. “It may take some time, but we’ll save up and replace it for you, okay?”

“What’s that room for, Grandpa?” Ellie placed her hands on her hips.

Their grandpa coughed like he had just swallowed a dry drink. “That’s where we keep our other items for sale.”

“Like the one you got from the hospital?” Marcus asked curiously. “I’ve seen Anabell pass you things.”

Charlotte’s lips tightened, and then she sighed. “You are our grandchildren, aren’t you?”

“Well,” their grandpa said. “Your aunt and uncle are in a difficult situation. They make crafts and we try to sell them to help pay for their stay at the State Hospital. We made a promise to their parents that we would look after them. Family sticks together.”

“That’s it?” Marcus asked.

“That’s it,” his grandpa said. “We have a few other things in the blue room that we have collected over the years. When the opportunity to sell them to the right person for the right price presents itself, we usually take it. But those kinds of buyers are rare.”

“Why don’t you two get some rest,” their grandma suggested. ”It’s been a busy day. You can sleep in tomorrow, how about that?”

“Thanks,” Marcus said as their grandparents left.

“What a day.” Ellie flopped down on Marcus’s bed.

“Do you think he’s lying?”

“Grandpa? He’s never lied to us, dork.”

“Yes, Grandpa, you nitwit,” Marcus said, “He’s just never acted like this.”

“And he’s never lied to us, Marcus.” Can we talk about something else?”

“Fine, I’m going to go to The Magic Box tonight.”

“What?” Ellie asked. “Grandma almost hung you by your toenails today, and now you’re going to sneak out?”

“There’s something about that place, Ellie. I ran into a boy over there, and he told me that they are hosting a magic talent show tonight. A whole crowd was waiting to get in. We could learn a lesson or two from them on how to get more customers.”

“It’s a bad idea,” Ellie said. “You’ll get in a lot of trouble.”

“I need you to cover for me, Ellie.” Marcus peered out the window and down the street at The Magic Box. The line was just as long, if not longer than it had been earlier that day.

“I’m not covering for you; I’m going with you.”

“Then hang the sign.” Marcus pointed toward the door.

Ellie removed a sign from the back of Marcus’s door. It read: Do not disturb. Violators will be shot, survivors will be shot again. She hung the sign outside his bedroom door, placed her novel on his bed, and then joined him at the window.

The window screen came off easily for Marcus, and he crawled out onto the little roof that jutted out over the entrance to The Magic Shop.

“Come on,” he said, reaching out to Ellie. She followed out the window and they made their way gingerly across the roof. It creaked every few feet and they froze, pausing a moment to listen for their grandparents. They finally reached an old fire escape ladder on the side of the shop and carefully climbed down.

Marcus peeked around the corner of The Magic Shop window to make sure that their grandparents weren’t within line of sight. He didn’t see anyone.

“Last chance to change your mind,” he said.

“No way. I always read about other people’s adventures. This is my chance.”

With the evening’s breeze at their back, Marcus and Ellie hustled down the street to join the long line for the Who’s got Magic Talent show.

“Hey!” came a voice from the crowd, somewhere down the line. “Over here.”

Marcus looked at Ellie who shrugged. They approached a boy trying to get their attention.

“Hi…” Marcus’s voice trailed as he tried to remember the boy’s name. “Jason, right?” It was the boy Marcus had met earlier.

Jason nodded. “I saved your place,” he said, stepping aside and making room. “I knew you’d be back. No one walks away from this kind of show.”

“Thanks,” Marcus said as they took their place next to him. Marcus introduced Ellie, and Jason smiled widely.

“How long have you been doing magic?” Marcus asked, wanting to change subjects, “Tricks, I mean.”

Jason looked at the ground so as to not be distracted while he was counting. “For a few years now. I’m going to win this thing, I just know it.”

Over the next few minutes the line moved faster, and the talking of the crowd was reduced to a murmur. Marcus felt the anticipation from everyone rise, including Jason.

“That’ll be the best $5.00 you’ve ever spent, please,” a redheaded man with a wide grin said from behind the thick glass of a ticket booth.

Marcus gaped under The Magic Box’s large marquee. The ticket man’s glass compartment blinked with rows of golden lights that reflected off his red uniform. It was like an old theater, where the rich spent their evenings watching sophisticated plays.

The ticket man cleared his throat loudly and Marcus dug into his pockets. He passed ten dollars under the window in exchange for a pair of passes, and the ticket man waved them on.

Ushers located throughout the store guided them toward the show. Marcus had wondered what The Magic Box would look like; its ambiance, its crowd appeal, its products. The shop was darker than Marcus had expected. Blinking bulbs, the sole source of light, hung from everything. Flickering silhouettes faintly illuminated the whole place with an ominous, soft glow that left Marcus feeling like they were sneaking under the tree on Christmas morning.

The floors and the shelves were decked out in red velvet and gold trim, giving the store a sort of majestic quality. As they passed a row of exotic items, Ellie giggled at a magic sword that one could swallow without harm. Jason commented that he had used one a hundred times and he had survived. There were pouches of beans that would grow beanstalks if planted by moonlight, and pink love potions just in time for summer vacation. Jason did admit rather timidly that he had never gotten a love potion to produce more than a handshake for him.

As they progressed, the shop seemed to get more serious. Marcus saw ornate packs of tarot cards and sets of throwing bones engraved with runes. There were thick cauldrons, dream catchers, and glass cases displaying various weapons, complete with detailed descriptions of their magical powers and attribute. Ellie perked up when she saw a wall dedicated to spell books. Next to the books were shelves stocking colored jars containing odd things floating in them.

“This way, please,” the usher at the door directed Marcus’s attention toward the show and away from the shop. His voice sounded familiar, and as Marcus turned around he knew what he was about to see. The redheaded ticket man motioned them to enter the theater, smiling broadly at Marcus as they exited the shop.

The guests wandered around amongst all the rows of black seats, trying to find their places. The rows descended toward a large stage; its thick crimson curtains hung with old-fashioned gold trim, just like in the movies.

“They converted this old movie theater into The Magic Box a few years back,” Jason said. “It’s been my favorite place to shop ever since. The old box office lobby is now the store, and they kept this one stage intact for the different shows and events they do during the year.”

They made their way to the last available seats, on the top row. When they sat, Marcus heard flutes and beating drums playing from behind the curtains.

A deep voice erupted over the speakers, echoing in the large room. “Welcome one and all to The Magic Box’sannual Who’s got Magic Talent show; the show in which you, the audience, get to showcase your magical talents for the chance to claim the next apprenticeship under our very own in-house magician.”

The audience clapped and cheered at the announcement, and some even stood. The anticipation in the air was palpable. Marcus leaned over to Ellie and asked, “So what did you think of that shop?”

“All I can say is, wow. They have everything from hand zappers to voodoo dolls. I don’t know how we are going to compete with that, Marcus…” her voice trailed off. “At least we’ll get some laughs out of this.”

A pair of ushers bolted the entrance behind them and stood stiffly in front of the doors with their arms crossed. The voice returned. “For those of you unfamiliar with the contest, when we call your row number please follow the direction of the aisle ushers. You will have two minutes to perform the best magic of your life on the greatest stage in Nevada. Now, row one, please make your way backstage.”

“Oh no,” Marcus said, turning to Jason. Ushers appeared near the front row, waving the excited contestants on. “They’re calling each row up one-by-one?”

“That’s how they usually do it, yeah. Why? Did you forget your tricks at home or something?”

Right, like he had a closet full of props in his bedroom or something. Marcus couldn’t believe what was happening, much less have an act prepared.

“What can we do, Ellie?” Marcus asked. “They think we want to go up there, and I definitely don’t want to go up there.”

“I don’t know, Marcus. Jump those big ushers and bite their ankles?” Ellie said sarcastically. “There’s nothing we can do, so let’s just sit back and enjoy the show. If they call our row, we’ll just explain the misunderstanding.”

Marcus shook his head as the first row of people disappeared on the stage behind the thick curtains. A moment later the voice returned: “Audience, I give you your judges.” Three dark figures stepped out onto a balcony, high above the stage, which Marcus hadn’t noticed before. They raised their hands, waved, and nodded, and then took their seats.

“Please hold your applause until the end of the show.” The voice paused for dramatic effect. “And now, I give you, this year’s Who’s got Magic Talent show.”

Trumpets blew majestically and the curtains pulled back to reveal a quivering man standing alone in the middle of the stage. His magic hoops quaked in his hands as he spoke. “I… I will show you the power of my… m… magic,” he said as he pushed a thick pair of glasses up his nose. “I will force these two r… rings, each made of the most solid metal, to converge according to my will, without blemish.”

“That’s the oldest trick in the book,” Marcus said, slouching in his seat. “What will they do next, pull a rabbit out of a hat?”

The man in the middle of the stage struck his rings together, not once, not twice, but three times. On the third attempt the man dropped to one knee and bowed his head. He extended his arms dramatically. The crowd gasped in anticipation of the joining of the two rings, but nothing happened. The man still held a ring in each hand, and the crowd murmured.

A second man, white-gloved and dressed in a black tuxedo with tails, came onstage and raised his hands to silence the crowd. “Shall we measure his magic?” he asked. The crowd quieted. The man with the rings stepped into the background, still clashing his rings together feverishly, cursing to himself. He was obviously on a timeline.

“What kind of jerk embarrasses a contestant like that?” a woman’s voice from the crowd asked. “Can’t you see that he’s not finished yet?” The man onstage raised one ring high above the other and brought it down with great force.

“Must be the guy’s mom,” Marcus said. Jason smirked, but Ellie elbowed Marcus in the ribs.

“To the true practitioners of magic here tonight, I need no introduction,” the man said as he reached into his tuxedo pocket and pulled out a small glass ball. ”I am the master magician of the house.” Microphone feedback echoed briefly throughout the theater as he spoke. When he held up the sphere in the palm of his gloved hand, the stage lights reflected off of what seemed like small bubbles swimming inside it.

Marcus nudged Jason. ”Who’s that guy?”

“You heard him,” Jason said. “He needs no intro—”

“Just tell me.”

“The great Faustino Forsyth,” Jason said pretentiously. “He’s why you’re here, isn’t he?”

Marcus had to think about that a moment. “Yeah, sure,” he lied.

Faustino mumbled something unintelligible and the ball began to glow. A faint, earthy color shimmered off Faustino’s greased-back hair, and a whispered murmuring rushed over the crowd. The man with the rings stopped what he was doing and gaped at the ball. The bubbles within the ball turned orange.

One by one, the judges on the balcony lifted an ornate gold paddle with a glow-in-the-dark number painted on its face. In the blackened theater the numbers appeared to float in the air. All three judges raised the number one in unison, and the audience moaned.

Jason bounced his leg. “They’re going to be tough tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” Faustino said, looking on the man with pity. Then he opened his arm theatrically toward the exit.

“But it worked,” the contestant said indignantly as he held up one ring, the other dangling from it. Despite a few half-hearted claps surfacing from the crowd, he was promptly ushered off the stage anyway.

Next, a teenage boy wearing tan baggy pants, curly gold shoes, and a gold turban strode onto the stage. He unsheathed a sword from his golden sash and whirled around, swinging and stabbing the sword to a rhythm only he could hear.

“It’s the human blender,” Marcus announced. ”I hope he doesn’t cut the Great Faustino before you can get to him.” Jason waved him off, zeroing in on the stage.

“I’m not worried,” Jason said a moment later, as if just hearing Marcus’s comment for the first time, “the Great Faustino cannot be killed.”

“You’re not serious,” Marcus said when the boy onstage lit his sword on fire with a wave of his hand. After a few more flaming twirls, he stopped, posed, and slid the sword down his throat.

“Many have tried to kill the Great Faustino over the years,” Jason said. The boy onstage slowly removed the sword from his mouth and took a bow, “but none have succeeded.” The crowd relaxed a little.

Ellie wiped her brow. Faustino lifted the glass ball again and the judges gave their score.

The varied performances that followed were dangerous, others were more like parlor tricks, and the rest were just plain laughable. After some time, Marcus lost interest. He couldn’t get over how many people had shown up to this event. Their grandparents had a hard time getting even a handful of people in their shop, yet The Magic Box was able to bring out what looked to be the entire population of the city.

Marcus snapped back to attention when one of the ushers called on the row in front of them. ”Okay, folks,” he whispered, “you’re up next. Let’s go.” The people stood and shuffled along the row, and then walked nervously down the aisle for their turn at the contest.

Once they cleared the way, Marcus saw a young blonde girl dressed as a magician’s assistant sparkle her way to the front of the stage. He squinted to get a better look; she reminded him of someone.

She lifted a top hat from her head and twirled it as she bowed. When she straightened up again, she slowly waved a hand above the hat and then below it. She flipped the hat over and showed the inside of the hat to the audience.

“Today I will perform a feat that you’ve never seen,” the blonde girl said. The crowd fell silent as if to egg her on. The girl’s voice sounded vaguely familiar to Marcus, but he couldn’t place it.

“This,” she said, placing the hat at her feet, “is my magic hat.” She stood up and slowly circled the hat. “You’ve each observed that my hat is quite normal. There are no holes or strings attached.”

The audience grumbled unbelievingly, but settled down after a minute. Marcus leaned over to Jason and asked, “Who is that girl?”

Entranced by the girl’s act, Jason just shrugged. The hat looked normal enough.

“Are you ready?” the girl asked.

With a clap of her hands, the hat began to waddle and circle the girl on the stage. A single scream amongst gasps blurted out from the audience. The girl raised both of her arms in the air and the hat stopped in place. It still jerked randomly, however, as if something small underneath it tried to push its way out.

“Rise,” the girl said in a loud, dramatic voice, “and join me on stage.”

Ever so slowly, the hat began to rise up off the stage. Eyes grew wide and mouths gaped open as the whole audience leaned in and absorbed the scene. What was more, as the hat separated from the stage, something else came into sight. Marcus couldn’t believe his eyes; if he didn’t know better, he would swear that a pair of fancy high-heels had appeared underneath the hat. Then the hat seemed to expand and contract as it continued to rise up off the ground. Before long, Marcus saw stockings and a skirt. The crowd seemed flustered.

Marcus turned to Jason. “There is a woman under the hat!”

“At least half of one,” Ellie said.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Jason said, sounding worried for the first time. “There’s no way I can beat that.”

A minute later, a full-grown woman stood in front of the girl in the magician’s assistant outfit. It took a moment before the woman realized where she was and that she had a top hat on her head.

The woman patted herself down and spun around, disoriented. “Wha—” then she took a deep breath. “Where am I?”

“Everyone, give my volunteer a round of applause,” the girl said and then bowed.

“I didn’t volunteer for anything,” the woman said. She felt for the hat on her head and then threw it to the ground. ”You horrible little girl!”

“Mom?” echoed a voice from the crowd. A man shuffled his way out from his row, ran down the aisle, and climbed up on stage, embracing his mother.

He let her go and turned to move off the stage when music came over the theater speakers and sounded offTaDa! The woman and her son froze in place.

“Thank you, thank you,” the girl said majestically. She rolled her sparkling arms elegantly as she took another bow. “Please give another round of applause to this good lady.”

The crowd clapped excitedly and the man and his mother bowed reluctantly, still confused but soaking up the attention. When the man stood up, his glasses slid down a bit, and he pushed the thick, black frames back up his nose.

“Hey, that was the first contestant onstage,” Jason said, chuckling. The mother and son exited behind the curtains. “Poor sap.”

“Mommy!” Marcus mocked. This earned him another elbow in the rib from Ellie.

“Shall we measure her magic?” Faustino’s voice said over the speakers as he walked onto the stage with his glass ball in hand.

Eagerness took over the crowd when Faustino lifted the ball into the air. The anticipation was palpable to Marcus. This had clearly been the best performance of the night, but what would that mean for Faustino and his ball?

After a moment, color came into the ball. The color wasn’t the warm color of orange and red that they had seen all night, but rather a cool, bluish-green color. The judges shot up out of their seats and raised their score paddles. A hush came over the crowd when the young girl received the highest score of the night.

“Well done, young lady,” Faustino said with a gentlemanly nod. “May I have your name please?” This was the first time he had asked a contestant’s name.

“Elizabeth,” she said with her chin held high. “Elizabeth Stratton.”

“Well, Miss Stratton, if you will follow me, please.” Faustino took Elizabeth by the hand and escorted her behind the curtains. He returned a moment later.

“Let’s go,” a hushed voice said from the end of Marcus’s row, “You’re up.” Marcus turned to see an usher wave at them from the end of his row.

“Look, there’s been some kind of mistake,” Marcus said in a hushed voice. “We just came to watch the show, not participate in it.”

“Doesn’t matter, kid,” another voice said from the other side of Marcus. “We’re on a timeline. Now, get up.” Apparently one usher was pulling the row out into the aisle and the other was converging on the row from the other side.

“Come on,” Jason said.

They all stood and fell in-line as they made their way up the stage. Marcus couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Jason walked in front of them, almost skipping as he walked. Marcus felt quite the opposite.

“What are we going to do, Ellie?” Marcus asked as they walked up the steps to the stage. “For the record, I’m still in favor of biting the ushers’ ankles.”

One-by-one the ushers lined them up and spaced them out behind the curtains. “We’re together,” Marcus said to their usher to avoid getting split up from Ellie. By the looks of it, they were going last.

The ushers brought the first contestant from their group onto the stage. After a few minutes she came back with her head hanging down, and the next went out. Marcus and Ellie were too nervous to watch the others; until Jason stepped onstage.

Jason was pretty good, but that didn’t make Marcus feel any better. Jason walked out onto the stage, took a string from his pocket and held it up high, letting it hang from his fingertips. Then he produced a lighter, which he thumbed once to produce a flame.

He waved the lighter underneath the tail of the string and it was consumed instantly by the flame, only to be replaced, at the flick of his wrist, by a silky red cloth.

Next, Jason took a dollar bill out from his pant pocket and snapped it tight between his two hands. Then, placing the dollar bill between his hands, he turned his hands over and pulled them away from the dollar bill, leaving it suspended. He moved his hands all around the bill without disturbing it. Then he clasped his hands around the bill again just as Faustino came from behind the curtains.

Marcus heard Faustino repeat his typical comment and he lifted his glass ball to measure Jason’s magic. The ball turned orange; the bubbles inside glowed blue. The judges scored him well, but not as well as Elizabeth. Marcus heard the crowd murmur disapprovingly. Jason returned backstage with a disappointed look.

“You two, you’re on,” an eager usher said to Marcus and Ellie, “and make it quick. We all want to go home at a decent hour, and there’s no way you’ll beat that other girl.”

“You can go home now,” Marcus said. “We don’t even have an act. We just came for the—”

“The Great Faustino expects you onstage, so you get out there and do some magic,” the usher ordered. “You don’t disappoint The Great Faustino.”

Marcus and Ellie scanned the backstage area for props or other antics. There was a stool with a pack of cards on it. Marcus darted to the stool and grabbed the cards just in time to get pushed in the back and onto the stage with Ellie.

The audience looked tired, but boy there were a lot of people staring at them. Marcus looked at Ellie and she looked back; confused.

“What are you going to do?” Ellie asked.

“I don’t know,” Marcus said, “Put in a plug for The Magic Shop?” He sniggered, but when Ellie didn’t respond in kind, he said, “Let’s just lose and get out of here. With any luck, Faustino will smell our lack of magic and kick us out.”

Marcus opened the pack and slid the cards out onto his hand. He threw the card case onto the stage.

“You there,” Marcus said, pointing at a young lady on the front row. ”Come pick a card.”

Marcus met a young girl at the edge of the stage and fanned open the deck in front of her. She hesitated for a moment and then picked a card, pulling it close to her face. She held the card to her chest with both hands.

“Let me guess,” Marcus said half-heartedly, “it’s a queen of hearts.”

“No,” the girl said, holding the card up for the crowd to see. “It’s a joker.”

Fitting, Marcus thought as the crowd chuckled at him.

“The what?” Ellie asked. She ran to the edge of the stage, grabbed the card, and then showed it to Marcus.

Faustino’s slow clopping steps echoed in the theatre as he took the stage. He shook his head disapprovingly, reached out and took the card out of Ellie’s hand and examined it for a moment. “Curious,” he said, turning it around for the crowd to see.

It was a queen of hearts.

“Shall we measure his magic?”

The crowd cheered as Faustino lifted the glass ball like he had after each contestant that night. Unlike the other times, however, the ball didn’t fill with color. The crowd shifted in their seats, and a mumble filled the room. After some time, Marcus thought he saw a faint blue light emerge from the center of the glass. The light grew in brightness until it washed out the bubbles; they couldn’t be seen any more in the ball. The unique color reminded Marcus of something.

“The room,” whispered Ellie, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “it looks like that color from the blue room.”

Faustino’s eyes grew wider. The color burned brighter; so bright that members of the crowd squinted and turned their heads away.

“What,” he seemed lost in thought for a moment, “what is your name, young man?” Faustino lowered the ball and covered the bright color with both hands until he could store it away gently into his jacket pocket.

Marcus looked at Ellie, unsure if he should give his real name. She just shrugged.

“Marcus,” he said hesitantly. Elizabeth snarled at him from behind the curtains.

“Marcus…” Faustino said, letting his name linger.

“Marcus from across the street,” replied Ellie quickly.

Faustino opened his mouth to say something more, but the judges stood on their feet and raised Marcus’s scores. As he expected, they weren’t very good. At least he could go home now. This had been a lot to take in.

Suddenly Marcus heard galloping footsteps behind him.

“I win,” a high-pitched voice said, emerging from backstage. “I win, I win.” Elizabeth ran toward Faustino, her arms thrashing in the air. She was beside herself, but Faustino only had eyes for Marcus.

Faustino looked down as he opened his jacket with one hand. Marcus stepped back out of instinct. The unique blue glow still emitted from the pocket where the glass ball had been placed.

“Who are you?” Faustino asked in a lowered voice, a hint of suspicion slipped into his words.

Marcus didn’t have to answer as the TaDa sound played over the speakers and the crowd clapped. Elizabeth tugged on Faustino’s arm, still trying to get his attention.

Faustino stood up straight and gave Marcus one last look before he turned to Elizabeth and put on his stage smile.

“Let’s go, Marcus” Ellie hooked his arm and walked him to the side of the stage.

“Let’s give a big round of applause to Elizabeth Stratton,” Faustino said mechanically, “your winner, and my new apprentice!”

With that, the audience stood and applauded vigorously. The ushers finally opened the exits. Marcus and Ellie promptly joined the multitude at the door.

Marcus looked back at the stage to see Elizabeth hugging Faustino, hopping up and down and clapping. Then, she hugged him again. But Faustino’s head was craned and his face was somber while he tracked Marcus through the multitude. It was as if Elizabeth and the crowd weren’t there. Marcus had the strange feeling that even if a thick cement wall had been built between them, Faustino would still see him somehow.

Outside, Ellie pulled Marcus by the hand while they navigated between the people in the street. Even with some distance having been put between them, Marcus looked back at The Magic Box and couldn’t shake the feeling that he was now being watched.