Metamorphosis

by Marty Chan

  The train steamed across the city, spewing black smoke over the warehouses and tenements adjacent to the elevated tracks. Two women in large bustles sat down across from the group. They cooled themselves with decorative fans as they chatted casually.

  “I’m certain that Mr. Edison will employ a most novel means of execution. After all, he’s the man who invented the light bulb,” the older woman said.

  Her companion nodded. “That invention changed my life. The extra hours at night we have at our home. He is truly a marvel. I can’t wait to see what device he’ll use to put down those horrid demons.”

  Ehrich gritted his teeth but said nothing. If the people weren’t upset over the travellers in their dimension, they most likely would target another group. The Chinese. The Irish. The

  African slaves.

  When the train reached Coney Island, passengers dis-embarked. Amina and Tesla unloaded the larger steamer trunk containing their props while the Weisz brothers managed the smaller one.

  Ehrich followed the rubberneckers heading to the newly built stage off the boardwalk. Red, white, and blue banners festooned the skirt of the elevated platform. Carpenters worked on the stage, erecting tiered benches at the back. Off to the side, technicians milled about the scattered pieces of scaffolding and machinery. Propped against a crate was a giant doughnut-shaped device wrapped in copper wires.

  Tesla gasped. “My generators.”

  Ehrich stopped and lowered the trunk to the ground and motioned the others to do the same. He checked his fake facial hair. Though they all wore disguises, Ehrich didn’t want to take any chances. He’d swapped out his goatee and moustache for a full beard. Tesla had reluctantly agreed to don a fake beard as well, which he constantly scratched at. He strode closer to the stage. Ehrich followed.

  Amina lingered back with Dash and the steamer trunks. Her cloak and hood hid her ebony face and scarred arms. Though she could pass for a New Yorker, the scars might raise questions. Dash shifted from foot to foot in his poor-boy cap and suspendered pants and stared at the oddity amidst the construction: an elephant shackled to iron spikes driven into the ground.

  Excited gawkers shared their theories with each other. One man claimed, “Edison is going to shoot electricity into the sky and create reverse lightning.”

  An old man said, “I don’t care how he does it. As long as he rids the city of these vile creatures.”

  Ehrich had heard enough. The crowd gossip wasn’t going to help them. He tugged on Tesla’s jacket and pulled him back to the steamer trunks.

  “Why is there an elephant?” Dash asked.

  “I don’t know.” Ehrich said.

  “When do you think they’ll stage the execution?” Amina asked.

  “Edison will want to test the equipment first,” Tesla said. “At the rate the technicians are working, it may be never.”

  They wandered away from the work site.

  .

  The execution site wasn’t the only attraction on Coney Island. At the far end of the boardwalk, a sideshow tent attracted a small gathering of vacationers. A carnival barker with a smarmy smile and a crooked nose beckoned patrons to enter. “Come one, come all, and marvel at the ‘Seven Wonders of the World.’ You’ll see the world’s shortest man. You’ll gasp at the Bearded Lady. You will meet the Seer, the man who can communicate with the great beyond! All for just a nickel. Step right up and see the ‘Seven Wonders of the World.’”

  A couple walked in and paid the admission. The rest of the crowd moved on to other attractions.

  Ehrich headed to the barker.

  “Come on in, sir. Just a nickel and you’ll see wonders you never imagined.”

  Ehrich shook his head. “I’m looking for the owner or manager. Who is that?”

  The barker tipped his cap at Ehrich. “The name’s Bradley Shaw. At your service. Want to step inside and see something you’ve never witnessed in your life? For you, a nickel.”

  “I’m hoping to become one of the attractions.”

  “I have a full slate.”

  “You won’t want to miss this act. I guarantee it will fill your tent.”

  “Right now, you’re chasing away my audience.”

  “Looks like I’m the only audience you have right now, sir.”

  Bradley ignored Ehrich and barked at a few bystanders nearby. “Step right up folks. See the Lunatic.” He waved at the tent entrance, and two handlers brought out a man with wild eyes and straggly hair. He struggled inside a canvas jacket with his arms crossed over his chest. A line of leather straps along his back from his neck to his bottom were cinched up tightly. He roared at his handlers, frothing at the mouth.

  “Plucked from the asylum because he was considered too dangerous, the Lunatic is a wonder to behold. Don’t worry, as long as he’s in the straitjacket, you’ll be safe.” Bradley shouted at the tourists, trying to draw them closer. It wasn’t working.

  Ehrich stepped in front of the stand. “Oh, my goodness! What was that creature? How did he do that amazing thing with

  his eyes?”

  Curious bystanders slowed.

  “He’s from another dimension. He has to be. I’ve never see anyone do that before.”

  Now the people were curious. They approached the tent, eager to look at the Lunatic. Bradley waved at the handlers, who ushered the Lunatic inside. Ehrich smiled at Bradley who ran his finger along his crooked nose as a salute. “Don’t take my word for it. This young gentleman saw the Lunatic with his own eyes.”

  “He’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen. You have to see him to believe it.”

  The people inched closer to the entrance, fumbling in pockets and purses for the entry fee. They paid and entered. Bradley smiled at Ehrich. “Come back in an hour and show me your act. You’d better knock my socks off.”

  “We will.” Ehrich jogged back to the others to break the good news.

  .

  An hour later, Ehrich strode onto the wooden stage in the tent. Amina waved her arms in the air to show off the steamer trunk they had placed in the centre of the platform. Bradley sat cross-armed in the front row. Beside him, Dash kicked his legs to and fro staring down at the ground.

  On the side of the stage, Tesla clutched the codex and nodded to Ehrich.

  “Mr. Shaw, you are in for a delight. Such a feat that you won’t be able to tell if it is illusion or pure magic,” Ehrich said. “You will wonder if your eyes are truly deceiving you. Take this ordinary steamer trunk.”

  He kicked the trunk three times, then he and Amina spun it around to show the sides and back were solid. Bradley sighed and motioned Ehrich to hurry up.

  “There is only one way in or out.” He opened the lid and climbed into the trunk. Amina wrapped chains over the top of the trunk and locked them to the front. When the trunk was secured, she lifted a hoop draped with black material, circled the stage, and stepped on top of the trunk. She lifted the hoop over her head. A pause, then the hoop dropped. Ehrich now stood alone on top of the trunk. Amina had disappeared. On the side of the stage, Tesla aimed the Codex at the steamer trunk.

  Bradley yawned. “That all you got? Every magician in town is doing ‘Metamorphosis.’”

  Ehrich straightened up. “But we do it differently.”

  “Guy goes in the box, girl comes out. That’s the basic plot, right? I’ve seen them all. Girl goes in, guy comes out. Guy goes in, comes out in different clothes. Girl goes in and a kid comes out. Trust me, I’ve seen every variation of this act since Harry Houdini introduced this trick.”

  Ehrich fought the urge to smile. He wanted to tell Bradley he was Harry Houdini, the one who had originated the act. Instead, he offered, “We can make anything come out of the trunk.”

  “Not interested. What else you got?”

  Ehrich looked to Tesla, who shrugged. Behind the trunk, Amina raised her head and
stared blankly.

  Bradley shifted in his seat, preparing to get up. “Well, if that’s all you got, I can grab some lunch before the afternoon shift shows up.”

  Ehrich glanced around the props laid out for the next performance and noticed the Lunatic’s straitjacket. The hint of an idea tickled the back of his brain.

  “Mr. Shaw, what if I told you I have an act that could pack this tent for the rest of the summer? And all I have to do is put my life in mortal danger.”

  Bradley stopped and turned. “The chance of death? How big?”

  “Huge.”

  “Now you have my interest. What’s the stunt?”

  Ehrich motioned to the straitjacket. “I would have to use this. Do you mind?”

  “The straitjacket? Sure. What do you need it for?”

  “It’s better if I show you.”

  Bradley waved the go-ahead.

  Ehrich motioned Amina and Tesla to join him. He instructed them: “Truss me up tight and make it look good.”

  Amina nodded. Tesla grabbed the jacket. Ehrich placed his arms inside the long sleeves and turned around. Amina strapped the buckles that lined the back. He crossed his arms over his chest and let her fasten the straps, but he puffed out his chest and arms so he could create some slack when it came time to escape. The stench of the jacket made Ehrich wince. “Imagine me escaping from what no asylum patient has ever escaped from.”

  Amina cinched the final strap between Ehrich’s legs. He gasped in pain and writhed in the jacket to adjust his stance.

  Shaw shook his head. “Escape acts are boring. All they ever do is stand behind a curtain and grunt and groan while the audiences wait.”

  “Who said I was going to stand behind a curtain?”

  Shaw fell silent.

  Amina cleared the stage while Ehrich stepped to the front. Ba Tian’s soldiers had trussed him up in a similar restraint on the Oriental Clipper, and he was able to free himself then. He was certain he could repeat the act. He thrashed himself from side to side as he struggled to loosen the straps of the canvas jacket. He bobbed up and down, trying to shake the straps off. He growled in pain and, slowly but surely, he was able to work his arms loose. Bradley leaned forward. Ehrich squirmed his right arm out of the straitjacket’s collar. He reached behind his neck and unfastened the top strap. Then he howled as he tried to shake the jacket open.

  “I think I’ve dislocated my shoulder,” Ehrich panted.

  “Do you want to stop?” Amina asked.

  “No, no. I’ll keep going.”

  He worked his hand through the bottom of the jacket and loosened the strap between his legs. Then, after several minutes of writhing, he peeled the jacket off as if he were taking off a snug sweater. He threw the canvas jacket to the stage.

  Bradley clapped. “Impressive! I like it, but I thought you said your life might be in danger.”

  Ehrich smiled. “Yes, it will be when you hang me upside down from the top of your tent.”

  The rail-thin man gasped. “Are you serious?”

  “The higher I can hang, the better the optics. We can wrap me up in chains and ropes as well. The more shackles, the higher the danger. One slip and I’ll fall to my death. Once people catch wind of this act, they’ll beg for more, and they’ll flock to your tent.”

  “You’re counting on the morbid curiosity of a bunch of suckers.”

  “Tell you what, Mr. Shaw. Give us a week. We’ll take a cut of the gate. We don’t sell, you don’t pay.”

  Bradley scratched the side of his crooked nose. “What’s the catch?”

  “You pay for the handbills so we can promote the act.”

  He shook his head. “That’s money out of my pocket. I pay for the handbills, but I take back the costs from what you earn.”

  Ehrich sighed. “Sure. It’s a deal.”

  “I’ll start you next week.”

  “You won’t be disappointed.”

  Amina’s eyes widened, but she said nothing until Bradley walked out of the tent. “What do you think you’re doing? We’re using our act as a cover. Now you’re stepping into the public eye? It’s like you want the hunters to catch us.”

  “Trust me, Amina. Trust me.”

  .

  Two days later, Ehrich revealed his plan. He needed to learn about the execution schedule and only the hunters would know. They weren’t likely to reveal this information, but they might have some paperwork in the station house. The trick was to slip inside.

  With flyers in hand, Ehrich sauntered through the Coney Island crowd. People barely paid attention to him as he tried to promote the show. The best way to be invisible was to try to sell people something. As soon as the vacationers saw the handbills, they glanced away. Even the hunters ignored him.

  Amina, Tesla, and Dash lingered on the fringe of the crowd to enjoy Ehrich’s futile attempts to attract attention. He gave up handing out the flyers and stuffed them into the back of his pants.

  “Gather round one and all,” he announced. “I am Hardeen the Handcuff King. There is no shackle or rope that can hold me for long. Tie me up and I will shed the bonds as easily as a gentleman doffs his hat for a lady.”

  Tesla leaned to Amina and Dash. “Do you think we should help?”

  Amina shook her head. “Some people are starting to take notice.”

  The crowd turned their attention to Ehrich. Even a trio of hunters seemed amused. He pointed a finger at the stocky hunter in the middle. “In fact, you could even lock me up in a Demon Watch jail, and I’d be free before you could blink.”

  The crowd laughed.

  “Ah, I see you don’t believe me,” Ehrich said. “Well, there is only one way to find out and that is for the hunters to lock me up. That is if they can catch me.”

  The stocky one responded. “Stop wasting our time and get on your way. Sell your show somewhere else.”

  “I don’t think you heard me the first time, sir. I said, if you can even catch me. Perhaps you can’t hear because something’s blocking your ear.” Ehrich reached up to the man’s ear and plucked a coin. “Well, what do you know? Hunters do have ‘sense.’”

  The crowd roared. More people inched forward to catch the banter. The stocky hunter and his two companions were not amused.

  “Get on your way,” he growled.

  “Let’s turn it over to the people. Do you want to see a great escape? Or do you want to watch hunters idly standing in front of a half-finished stage?”

  Amina shouted from the back. “Lock him up.”

  Others in the crowd joined in until a chant began. Like the conductor of an orchestra, Ehrich led the crowd, urging louder voices.

  The stocky hunter had had enough. He grabbed Ehrich by the back of the collar. “Okay, bright stuff. You wanted to be locked up? I’m happy to oblige.” He barked at the others. “Jenson, stay here. Derrick, keep the crowd back. This loudmouth is going to learn some manners.”

  “Sure thing, Walter,” Jenson answered.

  Derrick tried to hold the crowd back as Walter escorted Ehrich away from the execution site, but he was swept up among the masses eager to see what Ehrich was going to do.

  Tesla turned to Amina. “Should we help?”

  “You go. Keep an eye on him. Dash and I will watch the site.”

  The lanky scientist joined the throng of people. The Demon Watch station was a few blocks away. Walter hauled Ehrich up the steps to the building while Derrick, out of breath, caught up and tried to hold back the people.

  “Back off, everyone. This is Demon Watch business.”

  Ehrich turned and waved to the crowd. “Stay here. I’ll be out shortly. No prison can hold the great Hardeen, the Handcuff King.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Walter said as he shoved Ehrich inside.

  At a desk, a female hunter worked on paperwork.
“What’s this?” she asked.

  “Some yahoo trying to make a name for himself. He was disrupting the site. Thought it might be good for him to cool his heels in the cell for a few hours.”

  She fished the keys from her pocket. They jangled in her hand as she strolled to the cell at the back of the room and opened the metal door. It swung open and she stepped aside. Walter shoved Ehrich into the cell and followed him in. He pressed Ehrich against the wall and patted him down, taking away the handbills and emptying his pockets.

  “This is the most excitement I’ve had all week,” she said. “What’s your beef with him?”

  “Claims no prison can hold him.”

  “It’s true. As soon as you leave, I will happily spring myself free from the cell. Then you can catch the rest of my act at the big circus tent at the end of the boardwalk.”

  The female hunter chuckled. “The things you performers will do for attention.”

  Ehrich flashed a smile. “If I can’t escape from this cell within the next half-hour, you two will get free tickets to my show.”

  Walter folded his arms over his chest. “If you can’t escape, there won’t be a show.”

  “There’s always a sceptic in the crowd.” Ehrich turned to the female hunter. “You believe me, don’t you?”

  She shrugged. “I’m just bored and looking for a distraction from my paperwork.”

  “Leave me in the cell for half an hour. I guarantee I will be out before you come back.”

  “A dollar says he’ll still be here,” the stocky hunter said.

  She beamed. “Two.”

  “All right then. I’ll pay each of you five dollars if I’m still locked in this cell when you return, but I warn you. Hardeen, the Handcuff King has never failed.”

  “Until now,” the female hunter said. She approached Ehrich and slapped a pair of Darby shackles on his wrists. The thick cold metal bit into Ehrich’s wrists as the hunter screwed in the key. Then she stepped out of the cell and slammed the door shut.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Hardeen,” said Walter.

  “Except to get our money,” the female hunter quipped. They laughed and left.