Chương 60: The World's Greatest Magician

…Twelve years ago. A young auburn-headed boy squeezed through crowds of rowdy spectators as the sounds of drums rattled, rolled, and reverberated in the background. He was nimble, ducking below drunken customers' elbows, and leaping over spilled drinks. It didn't take very long for the boy to reach the door beside the main stage. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. Knock Knock Knock.

"HUH?" A muffled female voice returned, followed by a series of thumps and shifting. A wide smile formed on the boy's face as he took a step back. The door swung open, revealing a chubby older woman wearing elaborate ornaments around her neck and ears. If someone didn't know better, they would have thought she was rich.

"Oh, it's you, Evel. Come in, we're busy." He didn't give her a chance to change her mind and sprinted into the room without a second thought. The room was a mess, littered with costumes and props. It wasn't big, but over ten people sat in chairs in front of mirrors, touching up on their faces with blushes, creams, and paint. Excitedly tiptoing through the sea of items, he remained cautious as not to accidentally ruin anything and crawled up on the big couch.

He climbed atop the arm rest and stood stall, scanning each silhouette from behind with a great urgency. His smile slowly transformed into a frown with each person he observed. In the end, he sat back down on the couch, crossing his arms. Just where could he be?

"That unhappy to see us?" An older man whose face was a sea of wrinkles and head a bed of greying hair poked on his shoulder, breaking him out of his focused thoughts.

"Wrinkly Rick!" Evel's face lit up. Rick frowned and smacked him in the head.

"Who told you to call me that!? My name is Rick!" Despite his old age, Wrinkly Rick had quite a powerful voice, but the loud noise didn't bother anybody else in the room. They were all too busy.

"Ow!" Evel rubbed the back of his head, his expression halfway between swelling tears and giggling.

"He's not here." Rick shook his head, perfectly reading his mind.

"That bastard is performing in less than…" Rick glanced at the clock on the wall.

"24 minutes, and he's still nowhere to be seen!"

"But Mentor always makes it!" Evel exclaimed, his eyes sparkling in admiration.

"He made you call him that?" Rick asked with a tone of playful distaste.

"That shameless guy really is a bastard…" Rick patted Evel on the head a few times.

"Don't fall for his bad influence, kid. There's a whole lot of better men you can look up to than that."

"Like you?" Evel innocently asked. Rick smacked the back of his head again.

"Don't get smart with me, boy!"

"Hehehe."

"Boy, how old are you now?" Rick asked, giving the ever-growing boy in front of him a second look.

"Seven and three-quarters." He replied, puffing out his chest. Rick's eyes widened a little.

"Maybe I am getting old," he mumbled.

"When you first came here, you were a mess. Now look at you calling me names and sprinting around with endless energy." Rick sighed and patted his back before walking away, continuing to mumble something under his breath. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Evel giggled again: Wrinkly Rick, who was one of the senior-most members of the circus, was just so funny. He looked at the clock and studied it thoroughly.

He had just recently learned how the hands worked, but he still struggled to quickly know the minute hand. 5, 10, 15, 20… 35, 40! Only twenty minutes left until the big show. He was torn. On one hand, he wanted to watch the show from his favourite seat afar, but on the other hand, he also wanted to say hello to his mentor first! He ruffled his hair–torn between two good options. In the end, Evel decided to enjoy the show from afar. Saying his goodbyes, he left the room and slammed the door behind him.

Then, he began running. He weaved through tipsy adults and focused waitstaff, timing his steps to the beat of the music blaring behind him. A lot of people had come specifically to listen to the band, but to him, they were just a pre-show. The real show would start in… Evel abruptly stopped, facing the nearest clock. Taking out his fingers, he began counting, standing still with absolute focus for a full minute. Fourteen and a half minutes! He went back on the run, quickly arriving in front of a tall lampost.

The lamppost had thin black ridges allowing him to easily grab and begin his ascent. After a few strenuous grunts, he quickly arrived at the top. He was very careful to avoid the glass encasing the flame as he climbed on the flat top of the post – he had learned that lesson the hard way. With one final push, he found himself at the summit and sat down, letting his legs swing in front of him. The view from his height was magnificent; he could see almost everything!

A crowd of over a thousand people remained constantly moving, shifting between the bars and the view areas. To his right and left were thin, temporary white walls some magical person had put up. It made all the noise from inside stay inside, and even made the performer's sounds louder! The specifics behind it were probably really complicated, but the result was super cool. Far ahead of him was the band.

They were in the midst of playing a song he wasn't familiar with, but it was fast-paced, and the loud banging of the drums quickened his heartbeat. Taking a deep breath, the little boy took in the entire view. He had been here so many times in the past year and a half, but it always felt just as exciting as the first time. Evel rummaged through his pockets before pulling out a small scrap of paper from an old newspaper. It was worn and torn at multiple places, but the wide back of the hero remained untouched.

He smiled before shoving it back into his pocket. The band was finishing up their performance. With the help of a few workers, they packed up all their stuff and got off the stage. It was always weird after a performance ended. Especially the moment the constant booming sounds were instantly replaced by a quiet chatter that swept through the crowd. It was all very exciting, even already knowing what was to come. The smile on his face widened as Wrinkly Rick took the stage.

"HELLLLLLOOOO EVERYBODY!" Rick screamed out, his voice amplified by the thin white walls surrounding the massive area. He was a man worth respecting. For somebody so old and wrinkly and so, so close to the end of his life, he sure remains full of energy.

"YEAHHHH!" The crowd exploded with a burst of energy, matching the host. Evel pumped his fist and joined the crowd in the cheer.

"YEAH!!"

"We've got a few exciting shows for you today. Our very own Lori will be performing a DARING flying trapeze! Lyra will be STUNNING with her aerial hoops! After that, we got some fire eating, clowning, and knife throwing!" Another round of excited cheers spread through the crowd. Rick leaned in, as if telling the crowd his deepest secret. His words were but a whisper, but the walls ensured all could hear.

"Don't tell anyone I told you this, but we may see some exotic animal performances as well!"

"Wahoo!" Evel cheered. The big animals were always a blast to play with, and they knew some really cool tricks.

"Hmmm!" Rick returned to his normal thundering voice.

"I think I may have forgotten something!" He cupped his hand over his ear and leaned into the crowd.

"Magician!" Evel yelled out along with the crowd.

"What was that?" Rick asked again.

"MAGICIAN!"

"Oh! How could I forget the main star of the event!?" The lights dimmed. Rather, a large object floated high in the air hiding the sun covering the massive crowd in a shade. A few spotlights hit the stage with artificial light. One landed on Rick, and all of the others landed on the space behind him.

"INTRODUCING!" Rick yelled out as a figure appeared from his shadow. A young man in his mid-twenties with wild brown hair that fought to break out from under his top hat. On his face was a thick, twirling mustache and a thin beard. The figure was atop a unicycle, juggling five eggs simultaneously. He faced upward, holding a straw in his mouth, which balanced a sixth egg, as he rolled to the front of the stage.

"THE WORLD'S…!" The figure behind him pushed air through the straw, sending the sixth egg soaring, as he expertly caught it, adding it to the other five items he was juggling. He jumped off the unicycle and spat out the straw. Then, he began walking forward slowly, his eyes scanning the crowd amidst his introduction.

"GREATEST…" His deep green eyes met Evel's from afar, and his subtle smile widened to a massive grin.

"MAGICIAN…" Suddenly, all the flying eggs vanished one by one into thin air. Before long, all but two had all mysteriously disappeared. Evel held his breath, leaning forward and fluttering his legs ahead of him. In one fluid motion, his mentor grabbed both the remaining eggs and sank into a deep bow.

"JUUUUUUULIIIIIIUSSSSSSS!" He cheered until his lungs burned, never imagining that this was the brightest the world would ever look. Evel opened his eyes facing his bedroom ceiling. His eyes briefly darted to the clock, before landing back on the ceiling. 7: 54 AM