Hocus Pocus

by Rod Drake

A phenomenal stage magician and illusionist, the Mystifying Munroe performed magic that was simply astounding, always leaving his audience thoroughly entertained and completely dumbfounded. Two months ago he recruited a new assistant, whom he named the Dazzling Denise, a young woman who was dazzlingly beautiful in face and figure, a handy distraction for his audience as he conjured his various magical tricks. One thing led to another, and soon the two were sleeping together, a rapturous time for a couple of weeks, until Denise started making demands; a bigger role in the act, a cut of the money not just a meager salary, better dressing room, less revealing and tight costume, and on and on endlessly. It was a big headache for Munroe, who suffered in silence, hoping the situation would get better, but when it began to affect the act, he knew the Difficult Denise, his secret name for her, would simply have to go. One night, instead of using an audience member, Munroe switched the routine and asked Denise to step inside the Disappearing Box. Smiling and blowing kisses to the audience while she scowled angrily to Munroe, Denise was dramatically shut inside the box, which was opened seconds later to reveal nothing but empty space; where Denise vanished to that evening remained Munroe’s mystical secret, but she never bothered him or his act again.

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Rod Drake, author of An Eye for an Eye, is thinking about giving up writing and becoming lead singer for Satan’s Cell Phone. Then again, he writes better than he sings, so maybe he should stick to what he does best. Check out Rod's longer stories in Flashes of Speculation, Fictional Musings, Flash Flooding, Flash Forward and MicroHorror.