The Magician

Chapter 2, Andrew

Chapter Two

Andrew

I walked into the bar to find my small group of friends in a booth in the corner. As usual it was Oliver who noticed me first. Oliver was my best friend, we had known each other since we five. Although Oliver was quite the genius in the classroom, his social knowledge was quite minimal. Oliver had been diagnosed with Aspergers four years ago. He acted ordinary enough around friends and family, but strangers still thought Oliver was very weird. I'd promised myself when Oliver was diagnosed that I would protect him as much as I could, from bad people, from people like Niall and his thugs.

"Hey Andy", exclaimed Oliver in his usual jolly voice.

"Hey Oliver" I replied.

I took a seat next to Oliver and Mark said that they had been waiting for me to get my order. As usual I got a diet club rock shandy (the best drink in the world!) and we engaged in conversation. As usual my companions were eager to see what new trick I had prepared for them, and as usual I told them that they would have to wait and that I would show them later in the evening.

"Oh please come on, why do we always have to wait" whined Dani, the only girl in our little group.

"Very well",I said," I came prepared for such a demand", And I took out my deck of cards.

"Seriously a card trick?" said Dani, with disappointment in her tone.

"Indeed".

I waited for Mark to return and laid the cards down on the table in a neat row so you could see them all with their backs facing up. All the backs of the cards were blue when I picked them up to shuffle them, but when I laid them down again they were all green. I received a brief but effective applause from my friends and took a sip of my rock shandy.

"That's it?" asked Dani in her usual disappointed tone, Dani was a hard woman to impress.

"Oh you just wait".

I through the deck up in the air and let the cards fall to the ground. "Look under the table" I said in the playfully arrogant tone I used when doing magic. My friends looked under the table, expecting to see the fallen cards, but what was to meet was a completely blank floor.

"Wow, I think the floor is cleaner than when we came in" said Oliver.

"Now that's saying something" said Mark and we all laughed.

We spent the rest of the night sharing stories and laughing and debating. Myself and Oliver spoke of the long-coming dream of "The Grand Stampede". Oh yes I forgot to mention, most cheesy, kid's-birthday-party magicians have their glorious assistant dressed up in sequins and rhinestones. Well, instead of that I had Oliver. He wasn't exactly a glamorous beautiful assistant, but he shared my love for illusion and magic with a fond heart. He just didn't have the particular skill and showmanship it took to be a magician of wonder. But he helped me all the same and I couldn't be a professional illusionist without him.

So while I was telling my friends about this interesting book I was reading, when the bartender walked up to me, tapped me on the shoulder and nodded towards the stage at the back of the room. My friends looked puzzled and I glanced towards Dani.

"You wanted your big trick" I said as I walked towards the stage.

I got the usual buzz before a big trick. A few lights turned towards and I greeted my audience to and told them about the journey of illusion that they were about to take. That their eyes would decieve them and their beliefs would be challenged.

I took a playing card from my pocket and folded it in half. When I opened it a plain white dove soared from the card. I bowed for my applause and winked at my friends to tell them the show wasn't over. Just as my dove nestled on my shoulder I heard someone shout from the back of the room.

"Well if it isn't magic boy!".