THE MAGICIAN
The pain was intensifying. Blaise Montgomery laid spread eagled on the floor of his once pristine office. Now it was covered in thick scarlet blood, oozing out from every orifice. He was gasping for air, but sharp pains in his chest prevented him from breathing. He knew now what the Magician had meant. But it was all too late.
He was sitting in a small, dimly lit room, occupied only by him and a woman sitting at the opposite end. The sickly sweet scent of vanilla wafting around gave him the beginnings of a headache, but he knew this meeting could end the months of loneliness. The Magician walked slowly into the room, his face bearing a wide smile.
“Mr Montgomery, how I have awaited our meeting,” he greeted.
Blaise was tense and loosened his tie before shaking the old man’s hand. Strain etched over his young face.
“I know why you are here, Mr Montgomery. Your task is simple; she must be killed by your hand. This is the crucial point. It is because of this small detail that I presumed you would like to discontinue our plans.”
“No!” was the immediate reply. “Whatever the costs to see Arabella again, that was the agreement, I keep my word,” he ended with a definite finality.
“Very well, this must be done by noon tomorrow. After which you and your wife will be reunited. I must warn you that this is a dangerous task. There may or may not be consequences after performing this, the most darkest of acts. The choice is yours. ”
He saw this as the time to leave. He stood up, shook the Magician’s hand, picked up his briefcase and walked out the strongly scented room, plotting now the death of his seven year old daughter, Caitlyn.
Blaise and Arabella Montgomery were married 10 years ago. Blaise had found the perfect companion to soothe his ego, and Arabella had found the richest man she could get her hands on. Three years later Caitlyn Montgomery was born. The little girl so resembled her mother, even from an early age. Arabella’s sudden death 2 years ago tore Blaise to shreds. Two months ago he heard of the Magician. Now the wheels were in motion to kill Caitlyn in order to recall her mother back to the land of the living. Blaise was the only one who thought that it should have been Caitlyn’s life that was to be cut short that fateful Saturday night. But now he had a chance to change fate, to bring Arabella back.
It was 11:30 on a blisteringly hot Wednesday morning. Blaise was still at home, sitting on his bed with his revolver by his side. He was ready now to pull the trigger on his bright-faced daughter as soon as she entered the large room. He had been preparing for this moment ever since he found there was a possibility of a reunion with Bella. Suddenly the door opened and in ran a short girl with two plaits and a bright yellow dress with a rose clenched tightly in her right fist.
“Daddy, daddy, look what I’ve found for you!” she beamed.
Blaise lifted his head and looked directly into her smiling face. Her arm was outstretched, asking him to take the flower. He picked up the gun and pointed it directly at her. Her arm dropped quickly and there was a loud bang. Instantly the girl crumpled to the floor. He stood up and looked at her. She was lying in an ever expanding pool of blood; the flower fell next to her. Caitlyn Montgomery died smiling. Her father put the gun down, picked up his briefcase and left for his office, with pride and purpose in every step.
He was the only one in that day, seeing as it was a public holiday. It was 5 minutes till noon and he was growing impatient. He was standing beside his desk, looking out the window when it happened. It became incredibly windy, a whirlwind occurred in the centre of the room. Blaise was attempting to hold onto his desk. A thin figure appeared in the middle of the whirlwind, completely unaffected by the blustery conditions. As soon as she stepped forward, the wind died down and left the office as if nothing had happened.
She was, quite simply put, beautiful. Arabella Montgomery wore a midnight blue dress with gold stilettos. Her face was radiant and she emitted a glow. But with every step she took towards her stunned husband, the glowing radiance faded. The dress became ragged and she stood before him with bare feet. Blaise reached out a hand to touch her, but he could not manage to touch her greying face.
“Bella?” he pleaded with her
But she could not speak. She looked cold and lonely. She did not belong there, nor did she want to be there. She walked over to his desk and wrote on a piece of paper.
“Thank you for sending Caitlyn.”
With that she walked back to the middle of the room and with a quick jerk of her arms the whirlwind started again, and Arabella Montgomery left her husband to be with her daughter.
Blaise was astounded. He could not believe that his wife had left him. He put the note down and was about to call the Magician when he felt a stabbing sensation in his arm. Blood oozed from the invisible wound. Suddenly his whole body was being attacked.
The whirlwind that brought Bella to the office had begun again. Blaise became hopeful, thinking his wife had ditched Caitlyn to join him. But he was mistaken. Instead of beautiful Arabella stepping out of the centre, a card bearing an upside down Magician flew out and landed near Blaise’s ever pale face. Beneath were the words,” Earth provides enough to satisfy man's needs, but not man’s greed.” And with that, Blaise Montgomery moved no more.
