Magic Mansion

by Jordan Castillo Price

  His contact lens.

  John narrowed his True awareness down to a pinpoint focus, and he searched.

  And he found it.

  What’s happening? He conveyed. What’s wrong?

  Sharp. Burns. Help.

  Although in the lens’ impression the source of the problem was huge, John immediately knew it for what it was: a single grain of sand. How it had forced its way past the helmet and the goggles was anyone’s guess. Perhaps in the same way the silver sedan had found itself up on the sidewalk by the post office when its front axle snapped.

  “bzz—the Magnificent finds a key—oh, he drops it!—clatter-pop”

  Kevin jerked hard now, swinging his whole body until his helmet rapped against the side of the hourglass, but it wasn’t the special “get me out of here” nod. It was something more desperate and primal. Maybe it was even enough to free him from the gravity boots, to get him right-side up, so he could at least focus on freeing his hands. John looked up at Kevin’s gravity boots to gauge how close they were to coming undone, and saw, instead, a bracket in the hourglass that was working itself loose. The screws and bolts that held the plexi panels should have been sturdy enough to hold a magician and a few hundred pounds of sand, but evidently they were not enough to resist the torque of a two-hundred-pound man flinging his body with all possible force and momentum from a point of contact only a few inches square.

  An L-bracket held the center divider disc from which Kevin dangled in place. Not only was the divider disc holding up Kevin—it was containing all that sand. John looked at the weakened bracket, and then looked harder, with his Truth, and he knew exactly how it would unfold.

  “gzzt—finds the key again, but Jia’s in the lea—brrt”

  The divider plate would snap loose and Kevin would fall, the sand surging down all at once on top of him. He wouldn’t fall well—in fact, he might even black out, despite the padded floor. The respirator would stay in place. But covered in sand, it would cease to function. And without the use of his hands, even if he did regain consciousness, Kevin would have no way of getting that respirator off.

  “—making short work of those locks—bzz”

  “Would you shut up for a second so I can think?” John barked out, and Monty’s crackly commentary paused.

  And then John remembered…he was miked.

  “Kevin’s in trouble,” he said. “Get the stunt techs—get the medics. His rig is coming apart.”

  Iain’s voice came through the monitor, much louder than Monty’s. “Kevin, hang tight, we’re getting you out. Ricardo, Professor…keep going. One of you needs to grab second place.”

  John swung around and saw Ricardo crouched in the sand, watching him through the respirator, helmet and goggles. Ricardo stared for a moment, then started digging, hard.

  John checked Kevin again. The stunt coordinator was already at Kevin’s hourglass, removing an emergency panel. Kevin had stopped struggling. John looked up at the bracket. It was bent. But it would hold.

  Just as he noticed that, something hard and loud pinged off the top of his helmet, bounced, and clacked off the plexi wall.

  A key.

  “And Ricardo recovers his key!” The rap on the helmet must have realigned whatever wiring had shorted out, because now Monty’s voice was crystal clear. John dove for his own key. “And the Professor’s found something too. He picks it up just as Ricardo fits his key into the first lock, while Kevin Kazan is out with an injury. He forfeits his chance at the prize.”

  John pulled his key from the sand, and the knowledge that Kevin was now safe steadied his hand. He thrust the key into the first lock on the first try, and it slid home smoothly, and turned. The second lock was the same. John didn’t spare a glance for Ricardo. If he was to have any chance of being the next magician to finish, he needed all of his focus for the task. One more lock to go, and….

  “Ricardo the Magnificent is free, Professor Topaz right on his heels. Well done, magicians! We’ll find out what our judges make of Jia Lee’s unconventional strategy, and hear the final scores…after this commercial break.”

  “Everyone take five,” Iain called through his bullhorn, then headed over to check on Kevin. The stunt tech peeled off John’s sweaty helmet and relieved him of his goggles and respirator. Another tech did the same for Ricardo.

  “Why are they talking to judges?” Ricardo asked his tech.

  John looked over to Jia, who stood at the far end of the lawn with her hair now hanging loose in sweaty hanks, hands on hips, scowling. “We were not specifically told how to open the locks,” she insisted to no one in particular. “The exact words were that the key fit all four locks, and that the first magician to open the door and step onto the platform would win. That’s all. Nothing about being required to use the key.”

  “She picked the locks,” Ricardo said with a dazed smile, shaking his head. “Hairpins.”

  He stepped over to John and stood close at his side, not touching, but almost. There was sand in his hair. John brushed a few loose grains off his sweaty cheek from a spot that neither the goggles nor the respirator had covered. “If the judges disqualify her,” John said, “you know what that means.”

  Ricardo searched John’s eyes. “You don’t sound very happy about it—or are you just worried that I’ll be crushed if I get my hopes up and then Jia wins?”

  Maybe it was best to agree. The last thing John wanted to do was sour Ricardo’s potential victory. “As far as I’m concerned, you are the winner.”

  Marlene crossed the lawn and told them, “We’re checking with the legal department and running through the tapes. It’ll take a few more minutes. Come sit down, we’ll have the stylists touch you up. There’s plenty of shots of you under the scaffolding anyway…and the way things have been going, I wouldn’t be surprised if it collapsed on the bunch of you.”

  Might John have performed better if it weren’t for Kevin’s predicament? Possibly. He swore there was another key that had sifted through the opening while he was still upside down, and maybe he would have found it if he’d tried harder, even without his True magic. Nothing to be done for it now, he supposed. He’d allowed himself to be distracted, and now it was time to see what his distraction would cost him.

  The lighting director selected a spot to film the final segment against the side of the mansion where the landscaping looked a bit haggard, and the greensman’s assistant hurried to snip off brown fronds from the palms and pick shreds of plastic shopping bags from the bushes. When one of the crew bent back the undergrowth, sun glinted off a pane of glass, and John realized…that glass was the window to his room. The room he shared with Ricardo. And suddenly the afternoon seemed incredibly surreal.

  Kevin joined the other players with a patch taped over his eye and a diagnosis of a scratched cornea. Iain stood him on one side of John, Ricardo on the other, and Jia on the end, then answered a call on one of his cell phones that left him whispering furiously with his hand cupped over his mouth so none of the contestants could see. John sighed.

  “Medic told me you was the one who got me pulled out of the stunt,” Kevin said.

  And now, on top of everything else, John would have the privilege of being blamed for Kevin’s forfeit of the contest, too. “That’s right.”

  “That was some fucked-up shit,” Kevin said quietly. Not as if he was upset with John, either. “I’ll bet it cost you some time, having to worry ’bout me.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. “Thanks.”

  As John absorbed the unexpected gratitude, he spied Marlene striding across the lawn with Monty in tow, and he steeled himself.

  The time had finally come.

  Chapter 40

  THE WINNER IS

  Two stationary cameras, a jib, and a swarm of handhelds surrounded them. Marlene, for once, joined them from her trailer for the taping as she directed a couple of techs to set up…were those confetti canons? John stared dumbly. The end was in sight. It was really happening.

 
Once everyone was in place and Iain gave the go-ahead, Monty turned his inscrutable smile onto the contestants, and said, “Welcome back to Magic Mansion. We’ve gone through the tapes and consulted with our judges, and we’re ready to announce the quarter million dollar winner. But first…let’s check in with Kevin Kazan. Kevin, you were injured during the final challenge, and you ended up forfeiting. What was going through your mind?”

  Kevin cocked his head and considered his reply, and when he answered, his voice was more thoughtful than John had ever heard it. “Funny, you always ask dat, Monty. And sometimes, I just don’t know. I was in the zone, dig? I was pumped up. Ready to show everyone Kevin Kazan gonna smoke the competition and take the prize. But then…everything went red. Alls I knew was the pain. Yeah, I’m disappointed I didn’t even finish the challenge. But they say my eye’s gonna be okay, and after what I thought I was gonna hear them say….” He seemed a bit choked up, but he shrugged it off. “I’m gonna be okay.”

  “And we’re glad to hear it. How about you, Professor Topaz? You finished less than one second after Ricardo the Magnificent—and that was after you’d been restrained by none other than escape artist extraordinaire Ken Barron. So close, and yet so far. What do you think of your decision to go with Ken rather than one of the other magicians?”

  Actually, it had been his concern for Kevin that had cost him, and not Ken Barron’s restraints, though John supposed the compassion angle wouldn’t sound quite as thrilling to the audience. “There is never any shame in losing to the best,” he said gravely. “I’m proud of my performance today.”

  “As well you should be. You really gave Ricardo a run for his money. Ricardo, if Jia Lee was found to have violated the contest rules, you’ll be taking home a quarter million dollars and embarking on a four-month European tour. What would winning that prize mean to you?”

  “It’d be awesome. I’d buy a house.” He glanced at John. “I’ve always wanted my own house, so for me, that prize money would be a start of a whole new life.”

  “And Europe?”

  “That’d be great too,” Ricardo said as an afterthought. Not particularly convincingly, either. John suppressed a smile.

  “Jia Lee, you took the final challenge into your own hands. Rather than waiting for a key to fall, you set to work picking the locks. What was your strategy?”

  Jia leaned forward and looked down the line at her three opponents. “It took me a lot longer to get out of those gravity boots than it took Ricardo. Curling myself up like that…it hurt. It took me several tries. A lot of these challenges were made with men in mind. I’m not saying that to sound bitter. It’s just a fact. Stronger muscles, longer legs. That’s the playing field we’ve been competing on. But the thing is, who can jump the highest or run the fastest…that’s not what magic’s about. Not by a long shot. Magic is about knowing how to think on your feet. To use your hands. To make something complicated look easy. Whatever the judges say, I know—and all the viewers know—that if we judge the final challenge by those standards, then without a doubt, I am the winner.”

  “The judges have the final word on that. Jia Lee, Ricardo the Magnificent, please come forward.”

  Ricardo gave John’s hand a squeeze as he stepped out of line. John did smile at that, though it was probably camouflaged by his mustache.

  “After reviewing the rules, the judges have reached their final decision. The winner of Magic Mansion, the grand prize of a quarter-million dollars and a European tour is…” Monty opened a gold foil envelope and removed a card. “The last female contestant standing, Jia Lee!”

  A loud pop sounded, and big mylar confetti filled the air. Sunlight glinted off the metallic surface, dancing in John’s field of vision, sparkling like waves at the beach. He swayed, knees suddenly weak, as Jia and Ricardo embraced. It sounded strange, mostly like rustling and murmuring, but the show’s theme music added in post-production would cover that. From a crowd of engineers and assistants and stylists, four more costumed figures emerged to congratulate the winner, Sue and Ken, Chip, and even Faye. Someone prodded John in the arm. Kevin Kazan, offering his hand. A real handshake, even. Respectful, without fancy fist bumps or posturing. Had his near-accident changed him dramatically for the better? Unlikely. But maybe that grain of sand would nudge him in the trajectory of becoming, someday, a decent person. As he released the handshake, John felt the tingle of Kevin’s True magic again, less startling now—and then turned back toward the costumed mob of magicians beneath the rain of confetti, where he caught Ricardo’s eye.

  Ricardo had confetti on his shoulders. He was smiling broadly. He didn’t look disappointed at all.

  John smiled at him in return, thinking that would be that. But then Ricardo shouldered his way out of the congratulatory throng of magicians, and came toward John instead. John spread his arms for a hug. Ricardo not only fell into the embrace…he stood on tiptoe, and claimed a kiss.

  John held Ricardo tightly, as all around them, sparkling confetti drifted on the breeze. True magic prodded at John, alluring and sly, suggesting that the time was perfect to echo their first meeting. With a mere flick of the wrist, he could transform a swirl of confetti into a rabble of glittering butterflies, if only for a moment. But John resisted the urge. Cameras were rolling, after all. And with the shot being impossible to redo without picking confetti out of the grass until the daylight was spent, the editors would be in enough of a tizzy figuring out how to work around that kiss.

  CLOSING CREDITS

  CHIP CHALLENGE is pulling belly laughs from his fringed sleeve at the Comedy Store with his long-running hit show The King of Magic.

  FABIAN SWAN can be spied on the set of the upcoming feature film, Cold Illusion, as a special consultant.

  KEN BARRON is planning a daring underwater escape at the Del Ray Lagoon, pending zoning issues.

  AMAZING FAYE waxes eloquent in her new column in Entertainment Weekly.

  MURIEL BROOM is touring each of the continental 48 states in a camper with her partner and their dog, Ralph. She reports that Wyoming is very large.

  BEV AUSTIN was awarded a lifetime achievement award in education by Fresno County.

  SUE WOZNIAK is dazzling audiences down under as “Star-Spangled Sue” at the Athenaeum Theatre in Melbourne.

  KEVIN KAZAN will storm the stage in this summer’s Vans Warped Tour. He has fully recovered from his injury.

  PROFESSOR TOPAZ is taking a sabbatical from performing to pen his memoirs. He plans a highly-anticipated return to the stage next spring.

  RICARDO THE MAGNIFICENT wows the crowds at Magicopolis every other Friday. His juggling workshops sell out months in advance.

  JIA LEE has embarked on her European tour, bringing the magic of Asia to delighted audiences worldwide with her award-winning act, Scarlet Dragon.

  CHARITY YOUNG AND OSCAR could not be reached for comment at the time of this show’s airing.

  All stunts were performed in the presence of trained coordinators and emergency personnel. Do not attempt to re-create these stunts at home. Portions of this program not affecting the outcome, such as the event chronology and contestant comments/reactions may have been edited. Winning and elimination decisions were made by the judges in consultation with producers. Some elimination decisions were discussed with the network.

  Chapter 41

  WALK OF FAME

  When most people think of ceremonies and red carpets and awards, men in their sharp suits and women in satiny gowns, they usually imagine these events taking place at night. Not so, the unveiling of a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. Ricardo was impressed by the rigorous and precise preparation. The speeches would begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. Stars were expected to arrive between 10:45 and 11:00. And the ceremony ran with clockwork precision, friends and family in one area, press in another, fans in another still, orchestrated by a sharp female producer who could have been separated at birth from Marlene Perez.

  John sipped his champagne and gazed out the limo�
�s window, stroking his beard. Ricardo had begged him to wear the Edwardian suit with the cutaway coat, the striped trousers and the black silk top hat. His custom made version was even hotter than the one they’d thrown together in three days for the Boardwalk Challenge. John had given the idea serious consideration, but in the end, he went with his impeccable black three-button Versace. He looked fabulous in that, too. But it didn’t reduce Ricardo to a salivating wreck in quite the same way the period costume did. John told him the ceremony was more about Rose and Glenn than it was about Professor Topaz. He didn’t want to upstage them.

  Fat chance of that. Ricardo spied the cluster of Magic Mansion T-shirts from the end of the block as the limo turned the corner onto Vine. Modern audiences knew Glenn Forrest and Rose Topaz all right—but only as the aunt and uncle of Magic Mansion’s infamously gay Professor Topaz.

  John and Ricardo exited the limo to the pyrotechnic dazzle of dozens of camera strobes. Ricardo took his cues from John, following his gaze, so that the two of them were more likely to be facing the same way in the same shots. It would be less likely they’d be cropped apart if neither of them was presenting the back of his head to the lens. Down the red carpet—how different it was from Magic Mansion—and into the staging area, where they waited for the ceremony to begin.

  John fingered the cards in his pocket. He’d practiced his speech so that he knew it by heart—but Ricardo had talked him into bringing his notes just in case, knowing that if he had them at hand, he’d be less likely to need them.

  David Copperfield, the first living magician to receive his star on the Boulevard, did the opening speech. His manner was stunningly down-to-earth for someone who owned a chain of islands in the Bahamas. He’d seen Glenn and Rose perform as a boy, and still had the utmost respect for them. When he referred to John, whom he’d only met once, he was as warm and gracious as if the two of them had been magician-pals for ages. He was handsome, too—only a few years younger than John, and he looked like he was in his forties. True magic had its perks.