The Magician's best trick
As he pulled into town, many towns people started feeling uneasy. Who was this mysterious man in top hat and cape? His wagon was covered in archaic runes and symbols, and many wispered "Wizard"!
He pulled into the center of town, and carefully backed his wagon down a narrow alley, to where only the front of the wagon showed. He next pulled a long rope that was attached to the back end of the roof of his wagon, and as it lifted off and fell forward, legs unfolded from the sides and once lowered all the way down, this roof, became a long platform or stage that extended to the tip of the horses nose that was pulling the wagon.
"Friends!" he shouted as he moved towards the crowd that had started to form. "I am here to amaze and amuse! What you will see, will shock and delight! PLEASE, step forward to get a better look!" In a grand manner, he removed his cape with a flourish that turned it into a beautiful woman in a very skimpy outfit. Gasps of shock and snickers of approval rose from the crowd. "Meet my lovely assistant Ezmeralda, who will be helping me today" As she waved to the crown, the Magician bowed and took off his hat.
By this point, almost all of the town was gathered close to the wagon, pushing and shoving to get the best view, of what was sure to be an amazing show. The Magician moved a large box from the wagon to the middle of the stage, and with grand style, helped his assistant into the box. Closing it, he addressed the crowd, "I will now perform for you, a feat that has not been seen since the days of king Nebuchadnezzer. This feat is called the Burning Princess. It tells the story of a beautiful princess named Ezmeralda, who was locked in a tower by her wicked step father. Her beloved, ( played today by myself)..." He bows again to the crowd as they begin laughing and clapping. "Her beloved could not break down the door to the castle tower, so in desperation, he decides to set FIRE to the door!" The magician grabs a can of lamp oil from the wagon and quickly pours it over the box and around it's base. Next he grabs a near by torch, sets the box on fire! Sounds of shock and dismay, errupt from the crowd as a few of the bravest souls attempt to climb on the stage to rescue the young woman.
The Magician continues, "But alas, his plan does not work as intended! Now seeing that his beloved princess will perish, and distraught with the error of his own folly, runs in the burning tower to try and save his princess!" With these words, the magician leaps up on the box and as he does so, the box collapses under his weight. All that can be seen is a roaring fire and a lump of what surely must be the magician and his assistant!
Someone in the crowd yells, "WATER, we need buckets!!!" Now, the once mezmerized crown jumps into action as they rush to the well to draw up bucket after bucket of water. One towns person unhitched the horse, while others pitched water on the flames. Soon the flames are extinguished, and upon examination, instead of a grisly mound of burned flesh, all that is found is a pile of oily rags and nothing else. Even the wagon is empty, the Magician and his assistant are nowhere to be found.
It was then that one of the towns folk stumbled forward to declare that he had been robbed by masked men during the big show. As the towns people each went home and checked their belongings, they all discovered that, they too had been robbed of any money or jewelery they had and some even reported losing food stores.
The town elders began examining the wagon more closely, and found that there were many footprints leading away from the back of the wagon down the alley. What was determined is that while the towns people were distracted by the "show", hooligans hidden in the wagon, had robbed the town.
One town elder steps forward and says, "Well, it just goes to show you that he was a very good magician. You see, his best trick was making us think he was a magician, when really, he was nothing more than a slick highwayman."
As the towns people left to inventory what belongings they had left, another elder was heard to say, "I guess we deserved this. We never should have fallen for it again, like we did last year."
[Nice work of fiction. Moved to Player created stories.]
