text: As a kid, I’d always wanted to be a magician. I had a magic kit complete with trick coins, card decks, and even the black wand with the white tips. I practiced almost everyday and got super excited when I learned a new trick that I could show my friends at school. When my best friend Timmy told me he’d be having a magician at his upcoming birthday party, I got so excited. I practiced my tricks with the intention of impressing the first actual magician I’d see in real life. Up until then I’d only seen them on tv. Sunday came around, Timmy’s party. We were the first to arrive, I made sure of it. I wanted to be there when the magician set up. I watched with anticipation when a white van with a crudely spray-painted mural of a wide grinned, white faced man in a tuxedo enchanting an oversized top hat rolled into the driveway. The uneasiness that I felt at the sight of the creepy painting should have tipped me off that something was off, but my childish excitement overwhelmed me. The side door of the van opened, and two small people jumped out. Where they kids? I thought. They wore shoddy clothes and bickered as they began to bring down their equipment. Timmy’s mom received them, and this settled in mind that they were dwarfs. I guessed the rags they wore were a part of the show. They went back and forth from the van to the back yard setting up the stage and props and I kept my eyes glued to the van waiting to see the magician, but he still didn’t appear. Is he going to teleport here? I thought to myself with wonderment. Guests arrived and the party went on in a daze, all I could think about was the magic show. Finally, it was show time. The two dwarfs started with a dance and juggling act, and I noticed that they were really young. In fact, they really looked like kids. Then behind the curtain they’d erected earlier, I heard a snap like the uncorking of wine bottle. “And with you now, The Amazing Peter!” The dwarfs said unison. From behind the curtain a tall man stepped out. The kids cheered. I was mesmerized, but I couldn’t help but feel somewhat creeped out by his appearance. He had caked on white makeup, a pinstriped mustache turned up at the ends, and slicked back thin shiny jet-black hair. He smiled and his teeth contrasted yellow with his pale face. He did tricks I’d never seen before. He levitated, appeared to teleport, conjured more dwarfs and at one point even duplicated himself. My jaw dropped at these tricks, but I noticed that he struggled with the simple sleight-of-hand stuff. He messed up on a couple that I myself had mastered long before. No matter I thought, all the other stuff more than made up for it. Next, he asked for a volunteer. My hand instantly shot up and he picked me. There was a top hat upside down on a table, and after saying some magic words and waving his wand he told me to reach in and pull out what was inside. I was about to reach in when I caught a glimpse of its contents and I jumped back and let out a scream. It was a writhing mass of maggots and worms. I saw my mom stand up and make her way to the stage. “What’s wrong?” She asked. The magician winced and pouted his mouth as if I’d hurt him. Up close for some reason I became hyperaware of his caked face and it produced such terror in me. The way his makeup accentuated his wrinkles and pores. The hair up his nose, his receding hairline, yellow teeth. It all just hit me at once. My mom inspected my hand, and when only I was looking at him, the magician smiled and looked downright evil. He went to the hat and pulled a bunny out of it and flaunted it to the crowd so as to show that I was overreacting. “It’s just a cute bunny.” The magician said and smiled. The kids laughed. “Now I have one more trick before I go, and for this I want all the parents to come on stage and line up right here in a straight line. Come on! Don’t be shy!” When they were all lined up, he went on addressing the kids. “How many of you have wanted to eat nothing but candy?” The kids giggled and raised their hands. “Go to bed at what ever time you wanted? Stay home from school?” He had their attention. “Well, today is your lucky day! I’m going to hypnotize your parents so that you can do just that!” The parents onstage looked at one another. They played along, smiling, waving at their kids. Through the side gate, one of the dwarfs drove in the white van. The head lights turned on and shone a strange, wavy blue light. “Alright parents I need you all to stare at the blue light and repeat after me: ‘I have no children. No children have I had.’” They followed along. “’Go back with good old Peter, your wise and loving dad!’” “I have no children, “No children have I had, “Go back with good old Peter, “Your wise and loving dad.” Peter led them for about five go arounds of his chant. Some of the kids became scared and began to cry. Finally, the blue headlights went out. Our parents stopped chanting. They all looked disoriented and confused. “And now,” Peter addressed the parents. “It is time for us to go. Come along children.” He said to us but none of us moved. “Come now!” His voice became deep and monstrous. He opened the van door. “I promise to let you eat all the candy you want. To let you sleep when ever you want, and you never have to go to school!” He flashed his wicked smile. We looked to our parents, but all they did was wave goodbye.