The Assistant Vanishes!

by Michael Dahl

  Annie shrugged. “Maybe you do,” she said. “But I don’t.”

  “You don’t still think Theopolis is a real magician, do you?” Charlie asked. “Not after the special effects show we told you about.”

  “Just because the big demon upstairs was fake, that doesn’t mean that Paul’s disappearance was fake too,” Annie said.

  Before Charlie could argue, Ty jumped in.

  “Maybe we should take another look at that wardrobe,” he said. “The one Theopolis used for the trick.”

  “We looked at it already,” Charlie said.

  “Yeah, I know,” Ty said. “And you said something seemed wrong. But you never figured out what.”

  “It’s worth a try,” Charlie said.

  * * *

  Back under the stage, the crews were already moving things around for the evening performance.

  “I hope the wardrobe is still here,” Charlie said. “It’ll be way trickier to sneak a look at it if it’s already upstairs for the show.”

  Two stagehands were standing nearby. “You mean Theopolis’s wardrobe?” one of them asked.

  Charlie said, “That’s the one. You know where it is?”

  Both stagehands nodded toward the corner. “There it is,” said one. “That goofball Theopolis won’t let anyone move it but him.”

  “That’s okay with us,” the other stagehand added. “That thing looks heavy.”

  “Thanks,” Charlie said. Then the stagehands walked away.

  “Looks the same to me,” Ty said once Charlie had opened the wardrobe’s doors.

  “Me too,” Charlie said. He tried the false bottom, and it opened. Everything was just how he remembered it. He climbed right inside and tapped on every surface.

  “What’s that?” Ty asked, pointing at a black stain on the back inner wall of the wardrobe.

  Charlie squinted at the stain.

  “It looks printed,” he said. “I think it’s the logo and company name of the manufacturer. It says, ‘Hockney and Sons. 1935.’”

  “Wow,” Ty said. “That thing is really old-time, like Brack.”

  Charlie tapped his chin. “Hmm. Brack… time…” he said quietly. Then he snapped his fingers. “Brack’s watch! That’s it!”

  “His watch?” Ty said. “The squirting one?”

  Charlie nodded. “I have a phone call to make,” he said. “Come on.”

  “Thanks for coming down and setting this up so quickly,” Charlie said. He was back in the office behind the front desk again. Sitting in the various chairs and couches were Annie, Ty, and Bingham.

  At the front of the room, fiddling with cables and a wide-screen monitor, was Kyle Bukowski, president of the Blackstone Middle School A/V club.

  “It’s no problem,” Kyle said. “I’m always happy to help with an audio/video emergency. In a moment, I’ll have all nine videos that we shot of Theopolis’s performance cued up for us.”

  Kyle plugged in a few things, pushed a couple of buttons, and it was done. On the monitor popped up nine moving images, each in its own section.

  Each little video showed a different angle of Theopolis’s performance.

  They watched the whole vanishing act a couple of times.

  “What are we looking for, exactly?” Ty asked.

  Charlie watched the videos until he saw just the right frame. “Kyle, can you pause it right there,” Charlie said, “so we have a clear view of the inside of the wardrobe?”

  “Sure,” Kyle said. He paused one of the nine videos, and then zoomed in. “How’s this?”

  “Perfect,” Charlie said. He pointed at the inside of the wardrobe. “Anything look funny, Ty?”

  Ty squinted at the screen. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Look at the inside back wall,” Charlie said. He leaned back in the big chair. “What’s not there?”

  Ty squinted. He leaned in closer and closer to the monitor, until his nose practically touched the screen. Then his eyes went wide. “The black stamp!” he said.

  Charlie smiled and said, “Hockney and Sons. 1935.”

  “Did you know that wouldn’t be there?” Ty asked.

  “Wait a second,” said Bingham. “Who’s Hockney?”

  “I’ll explain later,” Charlie said. “First we have to find that wardrobe.” He pointed at the one on the monitor.

  “That’s not the real wardrobe?” Annie asked.

  “Nope,” Charlie said. “Not at all.”

  “So where’s the real one?” Ty said.

  “Probably somewhere he could keep a close eye on it,” Charlie said, “and where no one would be likely to stumble upon it.”

  He and Ty thought for a moment, and it came to them at the very same time.

  Together they said, “The thirteenth floor!”

  “But where?” Annie said. “You two have already checked his room, and you roamed the halls. It couldn’t be in another room, because he wouldn’t have a key to any other rooms.”

  Charlie smiled at Ty. “Remember how you said every suite has at least two bedrooms?” he said. “I have a hunch about where the second bedroom in Theopolis’s room has disappeared to.”

  “What are you talking about?” asked Ty.

  “Before I answer that,” said Charlie, “we should go talk to Brack.”

  Ty squinted at him. “You think he might have seen something?” he asked.

  “Yeah, if he’s been checking out the other elevators,” Charlie said. “He might have seen a couple of men pushing a wardrobe.”

  The thirteenth floor was even darker and creepier than it had been earlier that day.

  Demonic laughter filled the hallway. The floors creaked, even when no one was walking. Every so often, up ahead or just out of sight, something would flicker across, like a shadowy figure.

  “More of Theopolis’s tricks,” Charlie said. “Don’t let them frighten you.”

  “Who-who-who’s frightened?” stammered Bingham.

  “You are, for one,” said Ty. “Here’s his room.”

  The three of them stopped in front of room 1305. Charlie knocked. “Mr. Theopolis?” he said.

  The door swung open. “What do you two want?” Theopolis said. “Haven’t you bothered me enough?”

  “The reporter is with us this time,” Charlie said.

  Theopolis’s eyes lit up. “Then enter if you dare!” he shouted.

  Charlie and Ty rolled their eyes, and the three visitors walked in.

  “Okay, Ty,” said Charlie as Bingham began filming. “If this were a regular two-bedroom suite, where would the second bedroom be?”

  Ty looked around, and his face wrinkled with the strain. “I think,” he said, turning slowly in the living room, “right there.”

  He stopped and pointed at the closet doors. They were tall and black, like the polished top keys of a piano. In fact, much of the room was decorated with the same black finish.

  Charlie strode to the closet and pulled open the doors. The inside of the closet was very familiar. Bright blond wood.

  “It looks exactly like the wardrobe,” Ty said.

  “Except for one thing that’s missing,” Charlie said. “The stamp.”

  “Do not go into that closet!” Theopolis bellowed. He ran and got between the boys and the closet. “There is great and terrible power in there! I can’t be held responsible for what might happen!”

  “Wait,” Ty said. “Do you hear that? It sounds like another movie. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s Alien Cyborg Attack Part Eight.”

  Charlie smiled. Then he walked right into the closet. He tapped the back wall, and it instantly sprung open.

  “A false back,” Charlie said. “Just as I thought. And the TV we heard was coming from through here, not room 1307 at all.”

  Charlie stepped th
rough the opening, right into the second bedroom. It had been hidden behind the wardrobe, and the wardrobe had been disguised as a simple closet.

  “It is done,” said Charlie. “Behold!”

  A young boy sat on the bed. He had a bowl of popcorn in his lap, and was staring at the TV. Sure enough, it was showing Alien Cyborg Attack Part Eight.

  “Oh, hi,” the boy said, sitting up. He looked over Charlie’s shoulder to see Ty and Bingham climbing into the bedroom too.

  “Paul Juke!” exclaimed Ty.

  “Hi, Ty. Um, is it over?” Paul asked.

  “Is what over?” Bingham said.

  “Well,” said Paul. “The magic trick, of course.”

  “You’re in on it?” Ty said.

  “Well, yeah,” said Paul. “I’m saving up for a bike, and Uncle Theo said he’d pay me.”

  “This is Joey Bingham for Action 50 News,” the reporter said, grinning at his own camera. “I’m at the Abracadabra Hotel, where the Great Theopolis is about to use magic to bring back the boy who vanished at the noon show.”

  The house was packed. Everyone who had gone to the day show was back, and so were loads of people who had seen Bingham’s earlier reports about the missing boy.

  “Are you sure about this?” Charlie whispered. He sat with Ty on an overturned crate under the stage. They were going to help with the big finish Theopolis had promised. “We can still reveal the truth. We figured out that Theopolis isn’t a true magician, like he claims.”

  “We could do that,” Ty said. “We could also enjoy all the publicity for this show, for the hotel, and for the theater. This is going to do wonders for the Abracadabra Hotel.”

  “I suppose,” Charlie said.

  “Besides, you convinced me and Annie, right?” Ty said. “And that was the point.”

  Charlie nodded. Just then, one of the stagehands popped his head in the door. “Everyone ready down here?” he asked.

  “We’re ready,” replied Ty.

  Paul got up from his seat against the wall. “Finally,” he said. He stepped up onto the overturned crate between Ty and Charlie. “Uncle Theo owes me big time.”

  Charlie and Ty stood and clasped their hands together. “Ready?” asked Ty.

  “One,” they all said together, “two, three!” And with a great grunt, Paul was launched up and through the open trapdoor, into the wardrobe on the stage—the original wardrobe, with the false bottom and stamp that said “Hockney and Sons. 1935.”

  Charlie and Ty sat back down and waited. Seconds later, they heard the crowd above burst into cheers and applause.

  “I guess it went well,” Charlie said.

  “And you know what it means when the hotel does well, and I’ve helped,” said Ty.

  Charlie nodded. “Yup,” he said.

  “A raise,” said Ty. “And that brings me one step closer to my Tezuki Slamhammer 750, Edition 6, in cherry-pop lightning red.”

  “I guess when you get the bike you won’t need my help anymore,” Charlie said. “Right?”

  Ty shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “I mean, there’s always a new mystery at the Abracadabra.”

  “Which reminds me,” Charlie said. “Isn’t Brack planning another huge magic show?”

  “Indeed I am,” a voice said. But when the boys turned to look, Brack was nowhere to be found.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  MICHAEL DAHL grew up reading everything he could find about his hero Harry Houdini, and worked as a magician’s assistant when he was a teenager. Even though he cannot disappear, he is very good at escaping things. Dahl has written the popular Library of Doom series, the Dragonblood books, and the Finnegan Zwake series. He currently lives in the Midwest in a haunted house.

  ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

  LISA K. WEBER is an illustrator currently living in Oakland, California. She graduated from Parsons School of Design in 2000 and then began freelancing. Since then, she has completed many print, animation, and design projects, including graphic novelizations of classic literature, character and background designs for children’s cartoons, and textiles for dog clothing.

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Explain Theopolis’s trick. How did he do it?

  Have you seen a magic show? Talk about some of the tricks you saw.

  Would you want to stay at the Abracadabra Hotel? Why or why not?

  WRITING PROMPTS

  Try writing one of the chapters in this book from Brack’s point of view. How does the story change? What does Brack see, hear, think, and feel?

  Create your own magic trick. What is it? How does it work?

  Paul Juke’s uncle is a magician. Write about someone you know who has a very interesting job. What does he or she do? What makes that job interesting?

  GLOSSARY

  deny (di-NYE) — say that something isn’t true

  exclusive (ek-SKLOO-siv) — a story that appears in one place only

  finale (fuh-NAL-ee) — the last part of a show

  founder (FOUND-ur) — the person who set up or started something

  illusion (i-LOO-zhuhn) — something that appears to exist but does not; a trick

  namesake (NAYM-sayk) — the person for whom someone or something is named

  photographic (foh-tuh-GRAF-ik) — if someone has a photographic memory, they remember things in great detail

  refurbished (ri-FUR-bishd) — fixed up and made to seem new

  stagehand (STAYJ-hand) — a person who works behind the scenes at a theater

  superstitious (soo-pur-STISH-uhss) — believing in bad luck

  unnatural (uhn-NACH-ur-uhl) — not usual or normal

  WHERE’S ROVER?

  Mental magic can help you read people’s minds, make predictions, or put a puzzle together. And with this astounding trick, it can even help you find a lost dog!

  You Need:

  Three cups

  A small toy dog

  A secret assistant

  A table

  Performance:

  First, show the toy dog and the cups to the audience, then set the props on the table. Tell the audience you have a special mental connection with the dog. Say, “Rover is my special pal. I can find him even if he gets lost under the cups.”

  Next, ask your secret assistant, who is sitting in the audience, to come and help you with this trick. Then turn your back to the table. Ask your secret assistant to place the toy dog under one of the cups and mix them up.

  Turn back to the table when your assistant is done. Then begin pretending to use your mental powers to see which cup the dog is under. You will be able to find the correct cup by looking at your secret assistant’s feet.

  If the dog is under the left cup, your assistant’s foot will point to the left. If the dog is under the center cup, your assistant’s feet both point forward. If the dog is under the right cup, your assistant’s foot will point to the right.

  Once you know where the toy dog is, lift up the cup to reveal the toy. The audience will be stunned by your awesome mental powers!

  Like this trick? Learn more in the book Amazing Magic Tricks: Apprentice Level by Norm Barnhart! All images and text © 2009 Capstone Press. Used by permission.

  WAIT! DON'T FORGET!

  Find More: Games, Puzzles, Heroes, Villains, Authors, Illustrators at www.capstonekids.com

  Still want more? Find cool websites and books at www.facthound.com. Just type in the Book ID: 9781434241016 and you're ready to go!

  Hocus Pocus Hotel is published by Stone Arch Books

  1710 Roe Crest Dr .

  North Mankato, Minnesota 56003

  www.capstonepub.com

  Copyright © 2013 by Stone Arch Books. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mec
hanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

  Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available at the Library of Congress website.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-4101-6 (library binding)

  ISBN: 978-1-4965-3978-6 (e-book)

  Summary: A volunteer assistant vanishes during a trick at the Abracadabra. Can Tyler and Charlie make him appear?

  Designer: Kay Fraser

  Photo credits: Shutterstock

  Abracadabra Hotel illustration: Brann Garvey