by Justin Swapp
“How bad do you think things are for us,” Marcus asked, “financially I mean?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not good. I hear Grandma and Grandpa arguing all the time.”
“Maybe there’s something we could do to get more customers? We’ve only had a few,” Marcus said. “Have you seen that magic shop across the street? It seems like it’s always busy.”
“Yeah,” Ellie said, “but I’ve never been in it.”
“I want to go check it out,” Marcus shot up like he just sat on something sharp. “Will you watch the store?”
“I guess so, sure,” she cracked open her book again. “I’ve got this store thing down anyway. You better come back with some good ideas, though.”
Marcus bolted out of the shop without wasting another moment. Some distance down the street opposite them stood a tall, rectangular building with a large, horizontal marquee blinking the name: The Magic Box in different-colored lights. A line of people waiting to get inside overflowed out of the shop’s entrance and into the street.
What could possibly attract so many people to one place? Marcus couldn’t see a clear way around the line, so he found the end of it and took his place. He wondered what their competitor did differently than they did.
Marcus felt the phone in his pocket vibrate, so he pulled it out only to find a sarcastic text message from his sister.
Don’t get lost
He sniggered just as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Marcus spun around.
“Are you here for the show?” A floppy, blond-haired boy about Marcus’s age stood before him, grinning from ear to ear. Apparently this boy was looking for some way to pass the time too.
“Hi, my name is Jason,” he said, extending a friendly hand. “Do you think you like magic more than I do?”
Marcus considered how blunt to be about this, and decided to just say it. Perhaps Jason would just let him be. “Uh, no, not so much,” Marcus said. “I don’t believe in magic. Actually, I don’t like it at all.”
For a moment, Jason looked confused. “Well, I bet I can change your mind. Watch this,” he said enthusiastically. He whipped out both arms theatrically and rubbed his fingers together. With the flick of his wrist he produced a gold coin in his left hand, apparently from nowhere.
“I had two gold coins before I met you,” Jason said. “Where did you put the other one?”
“Let me guess,” Marcus said, rolling his eyes, “behind one of my ears?” Then he realized that he had done exactly what Jason wanted. Just as Marcus began to speak, Jason waved his coinless hand in front of Marcus’s face and behind his ear. When his hand came back around to Marcus’s face again, it contained an identical gold coin.
“See, you had it in you all along,” Jason said. “Pretty neat, huh?”
“Uh, Sure,” Marcus said, really just wanting him to go away. Marcus looked over Jason’s shoulder. For the first time since he had arrived, he noticed that up and down the line everyone seemed to be practicing different magic tricks, not just Jason.
“What did you mean when you asked if I was here for the show?”
Jason laughed as if Marcus was being funny. It took a few moments, but Jason finally realized that Marcus was serious.
“Well, tonight is the annual Who’s got Magic Talent show,” Jason said. “They’ve been promoting this for several months now.” Jason pointed to a poster on the brick wall across the street, a few stores down from his family’s Magic Shop. “It doesn’t start until later tonight, but it’ll be worth the wait.” The poster showed a man in a black suit pulling a rabbit out of a hat.
A strong hand gripped Marcus’s shoulder, bringing his attention front and center. “Come with me, young man,” a familiar voice said. The voice was his grandpa’s, and he wasn’t happy.
“I just wanted to check out—”
“Don’t talk, just follow me.” He quickly pulled Marcus by the wrist through the crowd all the way back to The Magic Shop.
“We could have at least scalped my place in line,” Marcus said, earning him a severe scowl.
When they returned, Charlotte stood at the checkout counter with a hand on her hip.
“Where have you been?”
“I went to check out the competition across—”
“Not only did you prove your teacher right, but you’ve shown that you need an even greater amount of discipline. Do you realize you left your sister here all alone, Marcus?”
“This is Ellie we’re talking about, right?” Marcus asked. “She’s tougher than I am.”
“Enough,” Winston said. “These are dangerous times, and you need to act accordingly.”
Charlotte crossed her arms, fuming.
“For the time being, you’re grounded,” Winston said. “Go to your room.”
“But Grandpa,” Ellie said, “I encouraged him.”
They both shook their heads.
Marcus went up to his room and sat in the windowsill. What just happened was a lot to take in. He and his grandpa had a great relationship, and to his knowledge they had never had a run-in like this. He didn’t want to feel at odds. It was confusing.
Across the street, the crowd of people waiting to get into The Magic Box only grew. He wondered what it was like; what he might have seen had he been allowed to go. Really, he just wanted to help make his grandparents’ Magic Shop successful.
Just then Marcus heard Tofu’s jingle as he came trotting into the room. Marcus didn’t care. He was focused on the outside, on The Magic Box. The silence got Marcus’s attention, a pause in Tofu’s jingle. Marcus knew what was next. Instinctively he braced himself as Tofu leapt in the air, and landed on his lap.
“Funny little guy,” Marcus said, still staring out the window. He scratched Tofu behind the ears and then worked his way to the dog’s face, like always, when something scratched Marcus. He looked down at Tofu, who had something in his mouth.
“Open up, boy,” Marcus said as he tickled under Tofu’s throat.
Tofu loosened his grip, and Marcus wiggled a familiar-looking stick from the dog’s mouth. He spent a minute trying to remember. It’s not like it was the first time Tofu had played fetch with a stick. Then he remembered the last thing Tofu was sniffing at in that mysterious blue room; the knotty stick.
4
The Magic Box
Night fell before Marcus saw his grandma and grandpa again. He had sat in the windowsill with Tofu, watching the line outside The Magic Box, curious about the show.
When the knock came at his door, Marcus knew it was his grandparents.
“We brought you something,” Charlotte said, rubbing a thumb on her crystal locket; she did that when she got anxious. “I thought skipping dinner might teach you a lesson, but this old softy here wouldn’t have it. So we compromised.”
Winston sat on the end of Marcus’s bed holding a dinner tray.
“Here you go, Son,” his grandpa said, extending the tray, which held a small plate with two slices of buttered bread and a glass of water. “At least—”
Marcus took the tray. “I’m not your son,” he droned, still staring out the window and petting Tofu mindlessly.
Winston blinked hard and turned away.
Charlotte shook her fist. “What has gotten into you, Marcus? We’re family, and your grandfather has only ever cared for you.”
Winston turned back to Marcus. “We just want you to understand how serious your behavior is. You abandoned your own flesh and blood and our livelihood. What you did was irrational and undisciplined.”
“It was dangerous,” his Charlotte added.
Marcus sat in silence for a while, gazing across the street. Someone cut in line, and a small fight broke out. “I’m sorry,” Marcus said finally. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m not used to being stuck here every day.”
Scratching Tofu under the chin, Marcus took the knotty stick from Tofu’s mouth again with the other and tossed it across the room. ”Fetch,” he said.
Tofu’s head shot up in
stinctively. He leapt off Marcus’s lap and chased the stick, but skidded to a halt as it struck the wall.
Marcus thought he saw sparks shoot from the wall when his TV flickered on. He looked at his side to see if he had accidentally sat on the remote control or something. Without warning, the radio began playing his favorite rock station then a high-pitched buzz filled the room. Marcus heard an electrical snap. The TV screen cracked and blackened. The radio popped and fizzled into silence. Smoke rose from the speakers.
“My TV!” Marcus leapt to his feet and rushed to examine the television. “My radio!”
Winston stood up quickly, giv his wife a concerned look, and picked up the knotty stick. Marcus patrolled back and forth between his devices.
“Marcus,” Winston said after a deep breath, almost reverently, “where did you get this?”
“My stuff just mysteriously blew up, and you’re worried about a stick?”
“Just answer him,” Charlotte snapped.
“Tofu brought it in here a few hours ago. I was too irritated to play with him, so he just sat here and chewed on it.”
Charlotte pointed at the door. “You’ve been a very naughty dog, Tofu. Downstairs—right now.” Tofu lowered his head, drooped his ears, and he meandered out of the room.
“Ellie!” Charlotte yelled, “come up here please. Right away!”
A moment later Ellie came bounding up the stairs. “What’s going on?” she asked, breathing heavily.
“My stuff’s just randomly blowing up, that’s what’s going on,” Marcus said dejectedly.
Their grandpa lifted the stick gingerly. “Where have you seen this before?”
“Seriously?” Ellie raised an eyebrow and threw her arms up. “Okay, um… outside maybe? I don’t know, and unless Marcus has started collecting sticks, I bet he doesn’t either. Did you pat down the family pet? He might—”
“This is serious, Ellie,” Charlotte said.
“Okay, I really don’t know. What’s the big deal about a stick, anyway?” Ellie paused and glared at Marcus. “Wait, did you say your stuff blew up?”
“Enough,” their grandpa said. Silence filled the room. “It’s time you two level with us. It’s very important.”
Marcus looked at Ellie, and she promptly nodded.
“Okay,” Marcus said, “This morning I saw you enter a room behind the tapestry.”
Winston cleared his throat. “Oh, that?” he said matter-of-factly. Charlotte frowned.
“After you left to run errands, we went in there to check it out. We were only in there a few minutes, and we didn’t touch anything. Tofu wandered in too, but then we got a customer, and Ellie took care of her. I called for Tofu and we closed it up. That’s all.”
“No harm done, then,” their grandpa said. He put the stick in his shirt pocket, patted it, and made for the door.
“Hold on, Grandpa,” Marcus said. “What happened to all my stuff?”
“Nothing more than a queer coincidence, Marcus.” He gave Marcus a look of pity. “It may take some time, but we’ll save up and replace it for you, okay?”
“What’s that room for, Grandpa?” Ellie placed her hands on her hips.
Their grandpa coughed like he had just swallowed a dry drink. “That’s where we keep our other items for sale.”
“Like the one you got from the hospital?” Marcus asked curiously. “I’ve seen Anabell pass you things.”
Charlotte’s lips tightened, and then she sighed. “You are our grandchildren, aren’t you?”
“Well,” their grandpa said. “Your aunt and uncle are in a difficult situation. They make crafts and we try to sell them to help pay for their stay at the State Hospital. We made a promise to their parents that we would look after them. Family sticks together.”
“That’s it?” Marcus asked.
“That’s it,” his grandpa said. “We have a few other things in the blue room that we have collected over the years. When the opportunity to sell them to the right person for the right price presents itself, we usually take it. But those kinds of buyers are rare.”
“Why don’t you two get some rest,” their grandma suggested. ”It’s been a busy day. You can sleep in tomorrow, how about that?”
“Thanks,” Marcus said as their grandparents left.
“What a day.” Ellie flopped down on Marcus’s bed.
“Do you think he’s lying?”
“Grandpa? He’s never lied to us, dork.”
“Yes, Grandpa, you nitwit,” Marcus said, “He’s just never acted like this.”
“And he’s never lied to us, Marcus.” Can we talk about something else?”
“Fine, I’m going to go to The Magic Box tonight.”
“What?” Ellie asked. “Grandma almost hung you by your toenails today, and now you’re going to sneak out?”
“There’s something about that place, Ellie. I ran into a boy over there, and he told me that they are hosting a magic talent show tonight. A whole crowd was waiting to get in. We could learn a lesson or two from them on how to get more customers.”
“It’s a bad idea,” Ellie said. “You’ll get in a lot of trouble.”
“I need you to cover for me, Ellie.” Marcus peered out the window and down the street at The Magic Box. The line was just as long, if not longer than it had been earlier that day.
“I’m not covering for you; I’m going with you.”
“Then hang the sign.” Marcus pointed toward the door.
Ellie removed a sign from the back of Marcus’s door. It read: Do not disturb. Violators will be shot, survivors will be shot again. She hung the sign outside his bedroom door, placed her novel on his bed, and then joined him at the window.
The window screen came off easily for Marcus, and he crawled out onto the little roof that jutted out over the entrance to The Magic Shop.
“Come on,” he said, reaching out to Ellie. She followed out the window and they made their way gingerly across the roof. It creaked every few feet and they froze, pausing a moment to listen for their grandparents. They finally reached an old fire escape ladder on the side of the shop and carefully climbed down.
Marcus peeked around the corner of The Magic Shop window to make sure that their grandparents weren’t within line of sight. He didn’t see anyone.
“Last chance to change your mind,” he said.
“No way. I always read about other people’s adventures. This is my chance.”
With the evening’s breeze at their back, Marcus and Ellie hustled down the street to join the long line for the Who’s got Magic Talent show.
“Hey!” came a voice from the crowd, somewhere down the line. “Over here.”
Marcus looked at Ellie who shrugged. They approached a boy trying to get their attention.
“Hi…” Marcus’s voice trailed as he tried to remember the boy’s name. “Jason, right?” It was the boy Marcus had met earlier.
Jason nodded. “I saved your place,” he said, stepping aside and making room. “I knew you’d be back. No one walks away from this kind of show.”
“Thanks,” Marcus said as they took their place next to him. Marcus introduced Ellie, and Jason smiled widely.
“How long have you been doing magic?” Marcus asked, wanting to change subjects, “Tricks, I mean.”
Jason looked at the ground so as to not be distracted while he was counting. “For a few years now. I’m going to win this thing, I just know it.”
Over the next few minutes the line moved faster, and the talking of the crowd was reduced to a murmur. Marcus felt the anticipation from everyone rise, including Jason.
“That’ll be the best $5.00 you’ve ever spent, please,” a redheaded man with a wide grin said from behind the thick glass of a ticket booth.
Marcus gaped under The Magic Box’s large marquee. The ticket man’s glass compartment blinked with rows of golden lights that reflected off his red uniform. It was like an old theater, where the rich spent their evenings watching sophisticated play
s.
The ticket man cleared his throat loudly and Marcus dug into his pockets. He passed ten dollars under the window in exchange for a pair of passes, and the ticket man waved them on.
Ushers located throughout the store guided them toward the show. Marcus had wondered what The Magic Box would look like; its ambiance, its crowd appeal, its products. The shop was darker than Marcus had expected. Blinking bulbs, the sole source of light, hung from everything. Flickering silhouettes faintly illuminated the whole place with an ominous, soft glow that left Marcus feeling like they were sneaking under the tree on Christmas morning.
The floors and the shelves were decked out in red velvet and gold trim, giving the store a sort of majestic quality. As they passed a row of exotic items, Ellie giggled at a magic sword that one could swallow without harm. Jason commented that he had used one a hundred times and he had survived. There were pouches of beans that would grow beanstalks if planted by moonlight, and pink love potions just in time for summer vacation. Jason did admit rather timidly that he had never gotten a love potion to produce more than a handshake for him.
As they progressed, the shop seemed to get more serious. Marcus saw ornate packs of tarot cards and sets of throwing bones engraved with runes. There were thick cauldrons, dream catchers, and glass cases displaying various weapons, complete with detailed descriptions of their magical powers and attribute. Ellie perked up when she saw a wall dedicated to spell books. Next to the books were shelves stocking colored jars containing odd things floating in them.
“This way, please,” the usher at the door directed Marcus’s attention toward the show and away from the shop. His voice sounded familiar, and as Marcus turned around he knew what he was about to see. The redheaded ticket man motioned them to enter the theater, smiling broadly at Marcus as they exited the shop.
The guests wandered around amongst all the rows of black seats, trying to find their places. The rows descended toward a large stage; its thick crimson curtains hung with old-fashioned gold trim, just like in the movies.
“They converted this old movie theater into The Magic Box a few years back,” Jason said. “It’s been my favorite place to shop ever since. The old box office lobby is now the store, and they kept this one stage intact for the different shows and events they do during the year.”