Birthday Surprise

Every other month, Writer's Digest holds a short story contest. They provide a prompt and the winner is published in a future issue.

There were over 550 entries to this prompt: "Parents look on in horror as a magician's trick goes horribly awry during a child's birthday party." Mine didn't make it into the top five*, but here it is anyway:

Birthday Surprise

The request for his services arrived in the mail on the same day as the eviction notice. There had been a time when Gregory the Magician had been the most sought after entertainer for miles. The dark, scuffed bag that had been handed down for generations would produce exactly what his audience had been wishing for with uncanny accuracy. Their faces would glow with astonishment and wonder. When the magic faded, they left with pleasant memories.

After his wife died, the magic betrayed him. Instead of delight, the bag had created fear and, eventually, retaliation. He had given up pleading for another chance. The bookings had stopped coming long ago. So it was with numerous misgivings that Gregory shook the tuxedo out of the dry cleaning bag and borrowed a car.

He arrived at the VFW hall early, as instructed. The father met him in the parking lot and explained that his daughter had some special “issues” and that he shouldn’t be surprised by her reaction to anything. If only he could be sure it wouldn’t be a reaction of horror!

When he was introduced to the birthday girl, she reminded him of a washed out painting. She didn’t speak, but tilted her head in a peculiar manner and seemed to be listening to something far away. It struck him that she might belong with the pale bats hanging from a fake branch at the zoo. He had a difficult time imaging anything that might bring her pleasure. A familiar feeling of dread began to tighten his stomach.

During the meal, Gregory the Magician worked the room, pulling chocolate coins from behind ears, coaxing colored scarves from thin air and telling jokes. He always had been good at making people comfortable. He had seen these faces so many times before: happy, expectant, oblivious. Only the girl’s face was different. Her family obviously loved her, but she lived behind a wall. She seemed miserable and isolated in the middle of her birthday celebration. For one brief moment, Greg longed to discover what would make her happy. In that moment, he felt a flutter stir inside.

After the presents were opened, Gregory eased into his act. Golden rings clinked and danced. Balloons flashed and poodles appeared. A silk flower squirted a good natured uncle. All the while, Gregory hinted that the best was yet to come. He could feel the magic taking shape in the bag. As he built toward his climax, he watched her face. There was not a smile, not a glint.

He began making grand flourishes over the bag, and from deep within he heard a rustle of wings. It was a slippery sound, like someone moving in a new trench coat. It was not the sound of birds’ wings. The girl’s head was tipped to the side and she was listening. Could she hear what he heard? Could she hear the dread that was about to rise from his bag? Oh, why did he have to picture the child as a bat! Now all the wishing in the world would not bring butterflies and puppies. He had never been able to prevent the magic once it began, no matter how hard he tried.

In one unstoppable motion, the vortex of bats exploded into the bright room. Greg stood frozen and watched the chaos of waving arms and screaming and leathery wings. Parents tried to shield children while fending off nightmares of their own. Standing on the edge of it all was the little girl. Her face was no longer blank. There was intensity in her eyes that made him gasp in surprise. He recognized that look as one of unbounded joy. Like a tiny bell, her voice chimed into the room.

“Unless you are an insect, you don’t have to be afraid. Please, sit down before you hurt them.”

An uneasy hush settled over the room as everyone’s attention shifted to their guest of honor. Small brown bats were hanging from her outstretched arms and gently swinging from the streamers above her. With confidence, the girl shared her love of the strange creatures they all feared. As she spoke, no one noticed the bats fading back into the nothingness that they had come from. When she finished, the girl dropped her arms to her sides and tilted her head to listen. But the joy never left her eyes.

Maybe hope was a thing with wings, even if it did perch upside-down.

Gregory the Magician was back.

*I'm not sure if you'll be able to see them if you're not a member of the forum, but the top five stories can be read HERE (starting with Working Professional).