Magician's Assistant 1 - The Performance
by: Deane Christopher © 2001
"Wow!" Jeff Gibson heard one his cohorts boisterously exclaimed as the whole gang from work filed into the Cauldron's main hall. "Would you just look at that stage!"
Jeff had to admit that the octagonal Plexiglas stage was really something! To the best of his knowledge, no magician he had ever heard of performed in the round.
"Are my eyes deceiving me or, are fish in there?" Mary, another member of the gang from Jeff's work, giddily asked the group as they skirted the stage en route to the front row table that had been reserved for them.
"No!" Mat Clark replied. "Your eyes aren't deceiving you, Mary! They're fish in there all right!
"Hey, Jeff!" Mat cheerfully called out. "Since you're the hot-shot scuba diver, why don't you give us all a run down on what kinds of fish are in there!"
Taking up the cudgel, Jeff began to survey the octagonal Plexiglas fish tank that he assumed would be serving as the stage for the upcoming performance, "Well... the blue ones are tangs. And, those yellow and white ones over there are butterflies. Oh! Right here near the wall is a spotted moray! And, there's a green moray over there on the far side! And, there's another one right over there! See him! He's lying on the bottom! Right up alongside of the broken piece of staghorn coral! Let's see... I count four - No! Make it five! - lionfish! You know, the real, real fancy looking ones..."
"Come on, birthday boy! Give it break!" Mat chuckled. "How 'bout we say that lecture time is over! Look! I've saved you a seat right in between Mary and me! So, come on! It's time for you to sit your ass down!
"I think we're all in for a real treat to tonight." Jeff offered as he rested his arms on the table.
"Yeah..." Bob Carlson said from across the table. "They say that she's been taking the magic world by storm..."
"Hey!" Ann the attractive and flirtatious brunette from the accounting department chimed in. "Aren't they big screen television monitors mounted above the stage?"
"They sure are!" Mat confirmed Ann's assertion.
"Hey!" Mat said. "Isn't that our table in the lower right hand corner?"
"Sure is..." a curious Bob replied as he got up from his chair and began to make his way slowly around the stage; inspecting various things as he went.
A minute or so later, after Bob Carlson had circumnavigated the octagonal combination fish tank and stage, he returned to the table and promptly informed his table mates that there were a grand total of four cameras that pointed down at the stage.
"Now why would they want to do something like that?" Vicki, the company's token dumb blonde jumped into the fray.
Aware that Vicki was a whole hell of a lot smarted than she gave the appearance of being, Bob, in an effort on his part to gain a few points, patiently endeavored to explain it to her. "They've position the cameras in such a way so as to let us see what's going on the other side of the stage. And, by the same token, the people that are sitting over there on the other side will be able to see the very same thing that we're seeing."
"Oh!" an enlightened Vicki innocently replied. "I understand! Basically, the way the cameras are positioned, everybody gets to see everything that's going on!"
"Exactly!" Bob, who was in hopes of one day engaging in an extra-material affair with Vicki, replied brightly.
* * *
The room filled rapidly. Then, coinciding with the show's advertised starting time, the room's lights dimmed perceptible. Three minutes after that, the main lights were turned off and a disembodied voice came over the PA system.
"Ladies and gentleman!" the rich baritone boomed. "Prepare yourself to be astonished! The Cauldron is proud to present the most innovative magician since Houdini. Please, welcome to the stage the Mistress of High Sorcery, Magatrix the Magnificent!"
With that said, the stage was bathed in a muted red glow. Then, after an elongated pause that was purposely designed to build the audience's anticipation, a collective "Ah!" was heard from somewhere to the rear of the front row table that the gang from Jeff work occupied. Reflexively turning about, Jeff took note of the fact that more and more of the people who were sitting at tables to his rear were beginning to crane their heads upwards. Taking his cue from them, Jeff did likewise, only to see what appeared to him to be a gleaming chrome hula-hoop tracing a circular path above the heads of the seated patrons.
Three times the chrome hoop made a circular route above the perimeter of the outermost tables. Then, on the completion of its' third revolution, having gained the notice of pretty much all of the Cauldron's patrons, the hoop began to spiral inwards. As it did so, Jeff took note of the fact that the shimmering silver hula-hoop had begun to descend an invisible inclined path as it moved ever inward towards the remarkable octagonal stage. Reaching the outer rim of the Plexiglas stage, the hoop dropped noiseless upon it and, though it began to lose its' forward momentum, continued to trace an inwardly spiraling path.
As the hula-hoop slowed, it began to wobble, which in turn, slowed its' inwardly spiraling progress even more. Then, having circled the centermost portion of the stage several times, the wobbles won out over what little forward momentum the hoop still possessed. Where upon, the laws of physics came into play and the hoop tip over and began to fall.
However, though the hoop fell, it did not impact upon the stage. To the astonishment of the crowd, a mere eight inches above the impact point the shining hoop abruptly arrested its' downward travels and hovered there for a long three count. Then, though it did so ever so slowly, the hoop began a controlled descent toward the crystal-like surface of the Plexiglas. Barely kissing the surface of the stage, the hoop reversed its’ travels and began to rise tauntingly. Teasingly.
The crowd gasped as a pair of dainty, well-manicured feet appeared beneath the plane of the steadily rising hoop. Distinctly feminine ankles, shins and seductively sculptured calves soon followed in the wake of the unshod feet. Shortly thereafter, the knees and thighs of a woman were visible beneath the rising hoop. Then, the pink satin hemline of some as yet undetermined female garment came into view.
Jeff, like every other member of the Cauldron's audience, was rendered awestruck as he watch the young woman he correctly assumed to be Magatrix the Magnificent progressively materialize right before his eyes.
And, then it was done. With the hula-hoop floating just a hand-span above that flowing red mane of hers, Magatrix, who was clad only in a scandalously skimpy pink satin slip and a matching French-cut bikini brief, feigned a bout of red-faced embarrassment as she ineptly tried to conceal those magnificently ample attributes of herself. Then, with a girlish "This will never do!" Magatrix directed a dramatic flourish of her right hand towards the hovering hoop. The hoop responded by dropping from a horizontal hover into a vertical hover. Another hand flourish caused the hoop to drop to a level more to Magatrix's linking. Moving to the outer lip of the stage that was perpendicular to the circular opening that the vertical hoop presented, Magatrix turned, and, emulating a gymnast approaching a pommel horse for a vault, took off on a dead run towards the hoop.
Though it was a gorgeous young woman who dove headfirst through the opening of the chrome hula-hoop, it was an orange and black stripped tigress that landed nimbly upon the opposite side of the crystalline surface of the fish tank stage. Warily, as if scrutinized the crowd for a tasty morsel to devour, the powerful tigress slowly made a full counterclockwise circuit around the outside run of the stage. Then, with a snarl and an ominously threatening growl to punctuate her leave-taking, the massive feline predator turned and, with a loop and a bound, dove back through the hoop that still hovered above stage center.
As each portion of the tigress' body passed through the vertical plane of the hula-hoop's innards, it took on the engaging human form of newly attired Magatrix the Magnificent. Employing all the grace and agility of a gold medallist gymnast, the emerging Magatrix tucked into the forward roll of a two and a half somersault. She then stuck her dismount by landing squarely on the four-inch stiletto heels of a patent leather pair of your classic, pointy-toed, U-throated opera pumps.
Dressed in the spiffy female dancer's fishnet stocking version of a man's tuxedo, Magatrix bowed in recognition of the massive amounts of applause that the Cauldron's audience was lavishing upon her. Turning about to face another segment of the seated patrons, she reached over and, with a quick flip of her wrist, set the hovering hula-hoop spinning about its' vertical axis. Then, having completed a second bow, she walked over to the hoop and nonchalantly reached into to its' open maw.
Jeff couldn't believe his eyes. Magatrix's hand and forearm were no where to be seen. Quickly, he looked to the nest of TV monitors mounted above the stage. The one that granted his section of the audience an opposing view confirmed the fact that Magatrix's hand and forearm had just up and disappeared.
With a knowing smile flashed to first one portion of the audience and then the other, Magatrix withdrew her arm and a hand that held in its’ grasp a black pie pan sized object. With a flourish and a hip slap that resulted in a loud resounding pop, the pie pan sized object expanded into a dandy's top hat. Setting the hat on her head, Magatrix adjusted it to a jaunty angel and then, dapperly patted its' crowd so as to set it in place. Returning to the hoop for a moment, she reinserted her arm and withdrew a scarlet lined black satin cap. This, she drew about her shoulders and affixed it to her with by closing an intricate golden clasp.
"Ladies and gentleman!" the velvet intonations of her voice reached out to captivate her audience. "I bid you all a gracious good evening. It is my sincere hope that you will find a modicum of enjoyment in the acts of magic that I shall endeavor to perform for you this evening.
"However, in order for me to proceed any further, I require the assistance of a male member of the audience.
"Normally, at this juncture, I would ask for a volunteer from the audience. But as I understand it, there's a gentleman here who is celebrating his birthday. So, if I could prevail upon him to join me on stage, we will get started.
"Go ahead, Jeff!" Mat snickered. "You heard the lady! Shag tush and get your ass up there!"
Though it took a fair amount of cajoling by his table mates, Jeff, who was feeling very foolish and more than a little embarrassed, gave up the ghost; got up and, using a stool that one of the club's witch garbed waitresses provided for him, joined Magatrix on stage.
"And, you are?" Magatrix warmly prompted.
"Jeff! Jeffrey Gibson!"
"Gibson! Like the Guitar Company?"
Jeff confirmed that "Yes!" his name was spelled the same way as the famous instrument maker.
"And, today's your birthday?"
Jeff replied that indeed it was.
"So, Jeff - If I may call you, Jeff? - just how old are you today?"
"Twenty nine."
"Great!
"All right, Mr. Jeffrey Gibson!" Magatrix said as she used a dramatic hand flourish to direct the hovering hula-hoop to go from the vertical to the horizontal as it moved upward and into a position that was slightly higher than Jeff's head. "All I need you to do for me at the moment is to stand right over here! Right in the very center of the stage and I'll take care of everything else!
"That's it, Jeff! Just position yourself right underneath that magical hula-hoop of mine!"
Jeff did as Magatrix directed.
"Good!
"Now, Jeff, all I want you to do is to keep your hands at your sides while I lower my magic hoop about you."
A moment later, the hoop had lowered itself into a position that encircled Jeff's waist.
"Sleep!" Magatrix gently urged.
Jeff's eyes drooped; flickered and then closed, as his chin corresponding settled upon the upper crest of his chest.
"Ladies and gentleman!" Magatrix said as she began to stroll about the stage, addressing her comments to first portion of the audience and then another. "Until quite recently, I performed with a male assistant, who - I might add! - was a real hunk! That's to say that he was the kind of man who is generally depicted on the covers of all those romance novels that we women are reputed to love to read so much.
"However, I was forced by the Magicians Guild of which I am a member to - Shall we say! - cease and deist using a male assistant.
"You see, ladies and gentleman, there exists a little known and rarely enforced codicil in my Guild's by-laws that specifically require all magicians to use extremely attractive young women as their assistants.
"Several months ago, a group of my fellow magicians got together and registered an official complaint against me. And, that resulted in my being severely chastised by my Guild's review board, who duly informed me that if I wished to continue my career as a professional magician, I would have to abide by all the rules and regulations as set out in the by-laws.
"In other words, ladies and gentleman, I had no recourse but to start using a female assistant.
"So, since I love being a magician and cannot envision myself pursuing any other career, I gave the matter a considerable amount of thought and came up with what I hope is a rather unique way to comply with my Guild's somewhat outdated directives.
"That's to say that while I find myself forced to employ a female assistant to help me with my act, the female assistant I employ doesn't necessarily have to be a female to begin with.
"In other words, ladies and gentlemen, I intent to change Mr. Jeffrey Gibson here into my lovely female assistant!
"However, before I do that, I'd like to get your input on just what kind of female I should change our Mr. Jeffrey Gibson here into.
"For example: how tall should this new assistant of mine be?
"Should she be petite? Average size? Or, perhaps statuesque? You know, something along the lines of - Shall we say! - a high fashion model?
"Tell you what! Let me run through those choices again and I'll use your applause to gauge which one you all would like me to go with."
Then, having done just that, Magatrix, functioning as the final arbiter in the selection process, declared with impish smirk, "All right! So, it would seem that the majority of you want our Mr. Gibson here to possess a pair of legs that run all the way up to the pert and perky derriere that I fully intend fitting him - As a her! - out with!
"Okay! Next question! Blonde? Brunette? Redhead? Or, I can always turn him into a raven-haired beauty. You know, should you all wish me to do so?"
A moment later, having run through the list again, Magatrix, with a delighted smile, replied, "Okay! So it would seem that you all want our Jeff here to be a blonde.
"But, just what kind of a blonde should he end up becoming?
"I mean, I could turn him into a dirty blonde? A strawberry blonde? Or, a platinum blonde..."
The selection process continued on for the next few minutes with Magatrix repeatedly offering up a short list of options and the audience voicing their opinions via their applause.
"All right! Let's review what we have so far.
"The majority of you wish me to change Mr. Jeffrey Gibson here into a statuesque, moderately long-haired strawberry blonde bombshell with green eyes. You also want him to be scantily clad in some sort of silver finery, that - I guess it's fair to say! - leaves little to the imagination. Correct?"
The applause that Magatrix's statement received confirmed the fact that her assertions were indeed in line with the majority's of audience's preferences.
"All right! Now, all my new assistant needs is a feminine name to go along with the new feminine physique that I'm about to fit him out with. And, since I don't think Jeffrena is going to work, I'm open for suggestions.
"Tell you what! In order to limit the selection process, how about we stick to a name that starts with a "J". You know, something along the lines of Jane... or Joan... or Jackie... or Janice..."
Coming from one the rearmost tables, a man's voice called, "How 'bout Jill!"
"Jill's good!" Magatrix returned. "Anybody else?"
"Yeah!" a male voice called out. "How 'bout Jasmine?"
"Oh!" Magatrix gleefully exclaimed. "I really like Jasmine! You know, as in it's an exotic name for exotic young lady!
"So, unless anyone has an objection, I'd kind of like to go with the name Jasmine!"
Turning about so as to face Jeff, Magatrix employed another precisely delivered hand flourish to cause her chrome hula-hoop to settle gently to the stage.
"Jeff!" Magatrix command. "The next time you hear me say the name Rumplestilskin you will wake up felling both refreshed and alert. However, when you do wake up you will no longer be Jeffrey Gibson. You will be Jasmine, my lovely young female assistant. You will have no recollection of ever have been a man. Furthermore, you will accord yourself as the graceful young woman you perceive yourself to be.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes..." Jeff meekly managed to utter.
"Good!
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Magatrix said once again addressing the Cauldron's audience, may I present to you my lovely assistant, Jasmine!"
With that, Magatrix's chrome hula-hoop began to rise slowly, exposing the metallic silver glint of what would shortly be revealed to be an eye-riveting pair of stunning high heel pumps. A hush fell over the crowd as they bore witness to how the chinos encasing Jeff's legs above the plane of the steadily rising hoop were steadily begin replaced with the high sheen of coffee hued support hosiery.
Mat was agape as he watch Jeff, the guy who occupied the cubicle next to his, go from being a guy into being the erotic personification of what every swinging-dick worth his salt dreamed about one day bedding.
"Damn!" Mat heard Vicki jealously mutter. "She's fitting him out with a body that puts mine to shame! I mean, would you look at that waist! Those hips! That trim little tummy..."
"Yeah!" Mary, thoroughly enjoying Vicki's apparent distress, seized the opportunity presented to get her in own little dig at Vicki's expense, as she wickedly quipped. "I can't wait to see what kind of boobs Magatrix's going to fit Jeff out with! I'll bet you that they'll be as spectacular as the rest of him has become.
A moment or so later, Mary was proven to be right. The boobs that Magatrix's magic bestowed on Jeff were, in more ways than one, outstanding.
"Holy shit!" Mat exclaimed. "He's gorgeous! Absolutely, no holds bar gorgeous!
"I mean, I don't think I've ever seen a woman as gorgeous as he - Or, I guess I really should have said she! - is!"
"You don't think that Magatrix actually turned Jeff into that woman up there, do you?" Mary, directing her question towards Mat, dubiously asked. "I mean, it was just an illusion? Right?"
"Maybe..." Mat, unable to take his eyes off of the scintillatingly clad blonde bombshell that occupied the exact spot on stage where his buddy had stood but a moment or so before, weakly muttered. "Maybe, it was just an illusion... But, if it was an illusion, it sure as hell has to be the best darn illusion that I've ever seen..."
"You're not seriously suggesting that that girl up there is actually Jeff, are you?" Mary, who had already half convinced herself that that the young woman grabbed in a gleaming silver Spandex leotard and a matching pair of over the elbow evening gloves was none other than the brazenly transsexualized Jeff Gibson, quizzically stammered.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Magatrix began anew. "Before I say the name that will complete Mr. Gibson transformation into my lovely assistant, I would like to have some of the people that came with him tonight put some questions to him. "Or," she sarcastically amended her prior statement, "maybe I should have been more correct and said: put some questions to her.
"However," Magatrix said as she made her way over to the rim of the stage that was closest to the table that was occupied by the party from Jeff’s work, "before I do that, I have a few questions of my own to ask.
"First off, did Jeff know that you all would be coming here tonight to catch my show?"
While most of Jeff's work mates' shook they head in a negative response, a few of the bolder ones replied with a hesitant "No!"
"Good! So, I take it that coming here to the Cauldron tonight came as a complete surprise to him.
There were smatterings of audible "yes's" amid a whole lot of nods of affirmation.
"All right! Next question! From the time you all arrived here at the Cauldron, was Jeff ever away from the group?
"No!" Bob Carlson, assuming the role of spokesman for the group as a means of trying to further impress the ample endowed Vicki, sang out. "Jeff was with us from the time we arrived right up and until the time your show started!"
"Good!" Magatrix quipped. "So, would it be fair for me to say that there is no way I could have enlisted Jeff's help prior to his joining me on stage this evening?"
"Yeah..." Bob, retaining the initiative, dubiously replied. "I guess so..."
"Would the rest of you agree with this gentleman and confirm the fact that our young Mr. Gibson here and I are not in cahoots with one another, owing to the fact that I never had the opportunity to enlist his help prior to his joining me on stage?"
Though more than a few members of Jeff's party were as dubious and reluctant as Bob Carlson had been, Magatrix managed to coax a tentative agreement out of the group.
"All right! Now that we've got all of that sorted out, what I like to do now is to have Jeff's associates ask him - Or, if you will, her! - a few questions so as to assure the rest of you that this gorgeous woman here really is - Or, was! - Mr. Jeffrey Gibson!
"What I'm going to do now is: I'm going to have, Terry, one of the Cauldron's fine waitresses, pass among you all with a wireless microphone. Please, so that you are in a position to verify the fact that you have received a correct answer, I beseech you to ask only questions that you already know the answer to. In other words, while embarrassing questions are fair game, I beg you not to ask frivolous or otherwise unverifiable questions?
"Jeff! Your friends are now going to ask you some questions." Magatrix said to the lovely blonde standing center stage. "You are to answer than honestly and succinctly!"
Magatrix, injecting humor when and wherever she could, kept the question and answer session moving at a fairly brisk pace.
"All right!" she said at the conclusion of the session. "Did anyone of you receive an incorrect answer to your inquiry?"
"No? Good! So, I can reasonably assume that none of you can refute my assertion that I have changed Mr. Jeffrey Gibson into this lovely young woman that you see here before you!
"All right then! I shall proceed!
"Rumplestilskin!"
With that, Jasmine smiled and opened those beautiful green eyes of hers and dutifully bowed to the Cauldron’s audience.
* * *
With a dramatic wave of her hand, Magatrix appeared to cause Jasmine to fall over backwards. However, instead of falling to the Plexiglas, Jasmine's body pivoted about the fulcrum as defined by that trim little waist of hers, allowing her feet and legs to swing forward and rise up in such a way as to have her floating parallel to stage. Removing her cape, Magatrix draped it over Jasmine's waist and then, to the astonishment of the audience, separated both the cape and Jasmine's supple body into two distinct halves. Then, having accomplished her extremely unique variation of the sawing a woman in half trick, Magatrix, with a yet another wave of her hand, had both portions of her lovely assistant's body upright themselves. Next, she set lower portion of Jasmine body skipping about the stage as her upper portion began to emulate a Ferris wheel as it passed in an out of the chrome hula-hoop on its' circular runs, while singing the song 'I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar’!
Then, having reassembled Jasmine, even while she re-affixed her cape about her shoulders, Magatrix informed her blonde haired assistant that she was no longer a woman. And, that until instructed otherwise, Jasmine was to think of herself as a chicken. With a cluck and a pecking-like head-bobble, Jasmine, in an effort on her part to emulate a pair of wings, folded her arms by placing her fists just below her armpits. Then, having done so, she began to chicken-walk about the stage in those silver high heels of hers, clucking away to beat the band.
"Hey!" Mat said to Mary. "Do you see what I see?"
"If you're referring to that rather large bulge that just appeared in the crotch of Jasmine’s leotard then, yes! I most certainly do!"
Apparently, Magatrix had taken note of the very same bulge that Mat and Mary had for she ordered Jasmine to stop in her tracks and remove the item.
Jasmine did as directed. She stopped and slid her right hand up and under the nap of the glistening silver leotard to remove a fairly good sized golden egg from her crotch. Then, she handed the egg over to Magatrix who proceeded on to crack it open to free a snow-white dove. However, within a matter of a second or so after handing the egg over, another bulge appeared in the crotch area of Jasmine’s eye-catching leotard .
All told, twenty doves were produced in such a manner, as one golden egg appeared on the heels of another. Then, to cap off this portion of the act, on Magatrix's command, the flock of doves flew a circular route about the hall and then entered the vertical plane of the hoop's gapping maw and abruptly disappeared.
Next, Magatrix reached into her hula-hoop and from the inexplicable metaphysical void it seem to grant her access to, she withdrew the well known pink, clear-plastic windowed box that clearly telegraphed the fact that a Barbie Doll was contained inside. Magatrix then requested for a female member of the audience to open the box and verify the fact that the doll contained within was indeed a Barbie Doll. Once satisfied that the Barbie was the genuine article, Magatrix proceeded on to direct the woman who had volunteered to turn the doll over to that ever so lovely assistant of hers. Where upon Jasmine, on receiving the gold swimsuit attired Barbie Doll, took it and laid it on the stage. Having done so, Jasmine moved to take up a position a few feet away from where she had placed the doll.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Magatrix intoned. "To aid those of you are seated further back in the room, I am going to ask the person controlling the cameras and monitors to go to a split screen viewing mode and to zoom in on both the Barbie Doll and my lovely assistant Jasmine."
A moment later, having checked for herself that the person controlling the cameras had complied with her request; Magatrix used a hand flourish to cause the Barbie Doll to tip upwards and into a standing position. Another hand flourish followed the first, causing the crowd to gasp in astonishment as Jasmine instantaneously became a human sized Barbie Doll and the Barbie Doll became a diminutive and fully animated Jasmine. Then, just to demonstrate just how nimble her doll sized assistant was, Magatrix directed the bathing suit attired Jasmine to perform an energetic gymnast tumbling floor exercise.
Aware that there were still a lot of Doubting Thomas's in the audience that would require further convincing, Magatrix levitated the Lilliputian-like Jasmine and sent her supine form into the open maw of the gleaming chrome hula-hoop.
"Mat!" Mary gleefully exclaimed. "Does Jeff - Or, Jasmine! Or, whoever the hell she might happen to be! - have wings now? Or, are my eyes deceiving me?"
"No! You're eyes aren't deceiving you! They're wings all right!
Indeed Jasmine did have wings. Beautiful, primarily pink and blue pastel hued compound butterfly wings.
"Jasmine! I know you're just itching to show off those pretty new wings of yours." Magatrix said to her diminutive assistant. "So, why don't you just go ahead and do that while I entertain the rest of the folks with a few tricks."
With that, Jasmine, emulating a flittering humming bird, made a beeline for the audience and, starting with the rearmost row of tables, began to make her way about the room.
"Hey!" Mat, upon feeling his hair unexpectedly tussled, rudely complained. "What the!"
Then, before Mat could utter another disparaging word, Jasmine, with her wings creating a pink and blue blur about the upper portion of her body, flitted into view and took up a position hovering above the table's approximate center point. With a bow and a curtsy and a pleasantly spoken "Good evening folks!" she daintily pirouetted about and was briskly on her way again.
A few minutes later, the fairy-like Jasmine, having completed her rounds, rejoined Magatrix on stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Magatrix intoned as Jasmine landed gracefully upon the stage. "My assistant’s return to the stage informs me that this evening’s performance has all but run its’ course. However before I bide you all adieu, I think it behooves me to restore our Jasmine here to her normal human size."
"Mat!" Mary gleefully exclaimed. "Are you seeing the very same thing that I am?"
"If you’re referring to the fact that Jasmine is getting larger and the mannequin is getting smaller, then, yes! I’m seeing the very same thing that you are?"
From the opposite side of the table, Vicki pointed out something that was becoming more obvious with every passing second. "Would you look at that! Jasmine’s bathing suit is starting to change color! It seems to be going from gold to silver, while the mannequin’s leotard, gloves and shoes appear to be going from silver to gold!
"Wait a second!" a thoroughly bemused Vicki stammered in an all out effort to amend her previous statement. "The mannequin isn’t wearing gloves or shoes anymore! Jasmine is!"
"Hey! Look up at the monitor!" a clearly captivated Bob directed. "See! Jasmine’s wings are at least half the size they were, while the mannequin is now sporting a tiny pair of wings of her own!"
"I’ve never - Ever! - seen anything like this!" an astonished Ann declared.
"I know! I know!" Bill, the new guy in Jeff’s department, jumped into the fray with an eager sense of unbridled excitement clearly conveyed in his voice. "I mean, this is all happening right before our eyes! You know, without any sort of - What you might call! - magical apparatus to aid Magatrix in creating the illusion! You know, save for that fancy smancy chrome hula-hoop of hers!"
And, then it was done. A wingless, human sized Jasmine, clad once again in a scintillating silver Spandex leotard, evening gloves and spiked heels stood beside a butterfly be-winged Barbie Doll.
"What do you say folks? How about I give this Barbie Doll here to Mr. Jeffrey Gibson as souvenir of his evening spent functioning as my lovely assistant?"
Then, when the applause that signified the audience’s tacit approval had begun to die out, Magatrix directed Jasmine to hand the doll over to one of the Cauldron’s witch clad waitresses who, in turn, passed it over to Jeff’s friends for safe keeping.
"Now," Magatrix’s silky voice boomed about the hall, "before Jasmine and I conclude tonight’s performance, the Cauldron’s management has asked me to inform you all that as soon as this stage of mine is clearer away, the dance floor will be available to you. Also, as always, Ron the DJ will be happy to accept your request.
"All right ladies and gentleman!" Magatrix continued as the lights winked out, plunging the room into darkness. "The time for our departure draws neigh!" The light flicked on again, only to reveal the fact the Plexiglas fish tank stage had up and disappeared, leaving Magatrix and Jasmine seemingly suspended in midair, a good four feet or so above the Cauldron’s parquet tiled dance floor.
Using yet another dramatic hand flourish, Magatrix caused her hula-hoop to descend upon Jasmine. To the astonishment of the audience, as the hoop’s horizontal maw passed down over Jasmine’s supple body, it consumed her. Then, once those silver high heels of Jasmine’s had gone the way of the dodo, the hoop pivoted about on its’ rim and began to move up Magatrix body, consuming her in the same manner it had her lovely assistant but a moment before.
Then, as the hoop passed above that trim little wait of hers, Magatrix said, "Now folks, I shall reveal the secret of all that you have seen this evening!" Pausing long enough to allow the hoop to rise to the base of her neck, Magatrix, with a knowing smirk conveyed in her voice, simply said, "It’s magic!" and then she was gone as her hoop skyrocketed towards the ceiling where it burst, fireworks-like, into a dazzling and erratically dancing shower of sparkling silver motes that flickered and died away into nothingness.
"Wow!" Mat excitedly exclaimed. "Now, that was really something!"
"It sure as hell was!" Bob Carlson concurred.
"How’d she make something as large as that stage disappear like she did? You know, especially so with all those fish and all that were in it?" Ann enthusiastically asked.
"Better question is: how’s she do anything that she did?" Bill chimed in. "I mean, that was - Hands down! - the best damn magic act I’ve ever seen!"
"I agree! She was great!" Mat concurred.
"Great!" Bob exclaimed. "She was fantastic!"
"Hey, guys!" Mary, who had been sitting there quietly, minutely examining the newly be-winged Barbie Doll, abruptly broke in. "Aren’t you all forgetting about Jeff?
"Holy shit!" Mat exclaimed. "You’re right, Mary! Magatrix never did reproduce him, did she?"
"No. She most certainly did not." Mary replied. "So, I guess the question is: Did Magatrix really change him into girl?
"And. if it’s true that she did really change him into a girl, the next question has got to be: is she going to change him back into a guy again?
"Wouldn’t it be a real hoot if she didn’t!" Bob chimed in. "You know, and just left Jeff stay a female for the rest of his life!
"I mean, I for one wouldn’t be the least little bit averse to helping her discover what being a girl is all about! You know, as in I’d be more than happy to - Shall we say! - take her out for test drive! You know, and break her in for the rest of you guys..."
* * *
Jeffrey Gibson’s story will continue in:
MAGICIAN’S ASSISTANT 2 – TABLE TALK
© 2001
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