I Believe in Magic - Phan [#Wattys2017]

Chapter 4 - A Dream of Dan Howell

WORLD'S FINEST MAGIC – ILLUSIONISTS AND MORE

QUESTION REALITY AND

PREPARE TO BE MYSTIFIED

[ADMIT ONE]

Dan reread the words printed in black and red on his ticket over and over again. The excitement of going to a real magic show for the first time in his young life made his heart thump and his body jitter. The books he read and the movies he watched all made magic seem so amazing. To be so young and to see it in real life had become far more than a dream.

He stood in line, one hand held tight to his ticket, the other gripping his father's pant leg to not become lost in the bustling hordes of people, all just as eager as him to get inside the huge building as he. When he stepped up to the door finally, he was greeted by an interested smile from the ticket handler.

"How old?" she asked his father.

"Go on, Dan. Tell her," he urged politely to his boy.

Dan, being shy and scared, stuttered around the pronunciation of the number "Five."

He handed the lady his ticket and was guided in through huge steel doors, which showed off the words

"W. F. M.

Magic, Dancers and More"

in large fancy print. Inside, his father sat him in a seat with decent viewing. The seats were of red velvet. Dan squirmed in anticipation until finally arranging a comfortable position. Many people surrounded him, and he was worried he would not get a good enough view. He was not vocal enough to ask anyone to move either, which worried him. Fortunately, the seat in front of him was not taken as the lights dimmed. A spotlight appeared on the huge stage before him.

In an incredible cloud of black smoke, a young man, no older than eighteen or nineteen, stood where no one had been just moments prior. The crowd erupted in cheer. The man wore an outfit resembling the colour scheme of the ticket; he dressed completely in black, with a red bow tie and black cape with a red underside. He introduced himself as "The Mystic," before beginning his next trick.

Magic trick and illusion, one after the other, smoke and glitter and hidden movements galore bewildered and shocked the young boy. Dan lost his somewhat comfortable position and changed to sitting up tall at the very edge of his seat. His mouth hung slightly open, watching every small movement in order to catch where the man made his tricks happen. He couldn't see a single one, leading him to believe that this was really happening. Thing were disappearing and reappearing left and right all before his eyes. Dancers and assistants made the background seem surreal, as if the entire stage was one graceful movement in its own.

The Mystic completed his final trick before exiting the stage the same way he entered in a thick fog of smoke. All his assistants and the dancers took bows as well. Dan stood up and clapped, hoping the magician (where ever he had gone) could hear it.

"Did you like the show, Dan?" his father asked on the ride home.

The little boy nodded excitedly. "It was amazing!"

"Would you want to be a magician like The Mystic?"

He considered this. "I don't want to do magic," he decided. "I just want to watch it!"

His father laughed.

Dan ran into his room when they arrived home, and quickly began sketching colourful pictures of The Mystic performing several tricks. He decided The Mystic wasn't all he wanted. He created new characters performing tricks along side him, and separately as well. Not only magicians, but dancers, acrobats, and animal tamers. Within a few hours, the five year old had created an entire circus of his own.

His bedroom door opened with a sudden click and revealed his father's face. "Daniel? What are you doing?"

"I made a magic show!" he jumped energetically, shoving the plentiful drawings to his father's hands.

He looked at them for a moment, first wanting to giggle at the childish scribbles and unrealistic proportions, but then becoming silenced by the variety of performers and the setup imagined by his son.

"This is really something," he said proudly.

"I want to make a real one! I want to make a magic show!"

A smile spread across the man's face. He ruffled his boy's hair. "I'm sure you will one day."

"I mean it."

"It's late. It's bed time. You have to dream of your show before creating it. Off to bed now," he said, helping the suddenly tired boy from the floor and into his sleepwear, then into his bed.

That night, Dan did dream of a magic show. He watched magicians and dancers and contortionists as they acted out their respected crafts. The show was stolen by one particular magician, who turned his white gloves into a pair of stunning doves.