"For my next trick, I need a volunteer," the old magician called. Though he did not use a microphone, his voice was loud and clear enough for his audience to hear, even those at the other end of the hall.
Sandy's hand went up, along with many, many other smaller hands. Sandy was still in little girl mode. When she was younger, whenever she had watched a magician perform, Sandy had always wished that she could step up to the stage and help the magician with his trick. Many times she had raised her little hand, desperate for attention. Drowned within a crowd of raised hands, she had never been chosen.
But that time... "How about the young lady in the yellow dress at the back?"
The magician was pointing at her. Her childhood dream was coming true! The little girl in Sandy went up to claim her dream. Sandy happily skipped her way to the front and up onto the stage.
"What's your name, young lady?" the magician asked.
"Sandy." The smiling brown-haired girl had to raise her excited voice to match the old magician's.
"Thank you for stepping up," the magician said to her, "Don't worry, you'll be paid for your time."
"Really?" Sandy asked in a more serious tone. The prospect of receiving money had awakened the teenage Sandy. Teenage Sandy bumped little-girl Sandy off the stage.
"Really." The magician reached behind Sandy's ear and pulled out a coin. He showed the coin to the audience, then pressed it into Sandy's palm.
Wow, Sandy got paid! Never mind that it was just a single coin.
"So, we've never met before, correct?"
Sandy took her eyes off the coin. "Yes, we've never met before."
The magician turned to the audience. "Sandy and I have never met before," he told the children, "so she doesn't know about my next trick." Then he took out a deck of cards and expertly shuffled it. "What I have here is an ordinary deck of cards."
He fanned the cards open and presented them to Sandy. "Pick one."
Sandy carefully pulled a card.
"Show it to the audience, don't show it to me," the old magician instructed, "Now replace it anywhere in the deck."
Sandy did as she was told.
The magician scattered the cards into his top hat as he commented on what he was doing at each step of his trick. He pulled out a length of white rope and held it up for Sandy to examine.
"So do you find that this is an ordinary length of rope?" the magician asked.
"Yes," Sandy replied.
The magician turned to the rest of his audience. "Now I'm going to dip one end of this rope into the hat. When I pull it out..." The end of the rope was tied around a card. The magician removed the card and showed it to Sandy. "Is this the card you chose?"
Little girl Sandy popped back in and smiled in amazement. "It is!"
The magician showed the card to the audience, who clapped.
"Thank you for your help," the magician said pleasantly to Sandy. He conjured up a rose in his previously empty hand and held it up to her. "For you."
Teenage Sandy sneaked up on little Sandy and shoved her away so she could claim the rose. "Thank you," Sandy said politely.
"Let's give a clap for Sandy," the magician told his audience as Sandy stepped off the stage.
Sandy went to the back of the audience and sat on the floor. She breathed deeply of the red rose that she had been given. The scent was sweet.
The magic show had been exciting for Sandy. The little girl within her was happy that she had finally got her wish to participate, even if she had waited years for it. The teenager within her was happy with the attention, and the coin that she had received.
It was a happy day.
***
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