The Magician
“Do
you want to see some magic?” A voice asked her, from behind.
Rinita
was late already. It was half past ten in the night and yet she was on the
road, almost a mile away from her home. The institution from which she was
returning made them leave late tonight. Moreover, she chatted with her
boyfriend for some time before ultimately leaving the place. She had already
called her home to tell that she'd be reaching late tonight. But still, ten-thirty
in the night at this part in Kolkata in this time of the year is not safe at
all. Winter is on the cards, so the possibilities of people roaming around late
were next to nil. What was worse, there was a sociopath killer on the move.
“Do
you want to see some magic?” The voice asked again.
Rinita
looked back.
Before
her, stood a medium heighted fellow. He was slightly bent, and even if she
couldn't see his face, it looked like as if age has started marking its
presence on his spinal cords first. His hands were stretched forward, and
together they made a sign of an appeal, as if he were to start his tricks from
the very word 'go'. He wore a dark long coat, unusually long for a regular
city-walker to wear. A pure leather - for sure, for whatever lights there were
on the footpath, were reflected and left a glistening effects to the
surroundings. His face was covered, not from some masks, or any clothing, but
the top hat he wore, hid his face completely beneath that, making him look like
a faceless monster.
She,
though being a bold city girl, suddenly tasted fear out of nowhere. She looked
around, and realised the road was unusually lonely that night.
“Who
are you?” She shouted.
“I
show people tricks – magic tricks. Tricks that they enjoy. In return they give
me money. Only if they get entertained, that is.” The man smiled from beneath
his dark hat.
A
high class beggar, perhaps? Rinita thought.
The
dark face smiled again. Another silent smile.
“…but
certainly not a beggar.” He clarified.
It
was her turn to be amazed now. He read her mind. How could he? It was really
something extraordinary. Rinita got interested.
“Well,”
the man continued, “Then you will be more fascinated to see this” as he drew a
piece of brown cloth from his pocket and whirled it round her head.
Rinita
blinked. And then when she looked at his hands again, the piece of cloth was
gone. But instead, she saw a brown hawk sitting in his left shoulder. A living,
brown hawk. Its head was still, bent at an angle that gave her a feel that it
has been watching her since ages with its eyes fixed on hers.
“Every
magician has a pet. He's mine.” The voice said.
Rinita
gave a sigh of relief.
And
then after five more minutes of more tricks and entertainment, the man paused.
“So…
are you ready for my last magic? The magic of all magics, the queen of the best
magics in the world – are you ready for it? “
Rinita
smiled. The man certainly knew how to build up a stage to perform something.
But the only problem was that, she was very late.
“I
am sorry, I'll have to go. I am very late tonight. And besides, my family will
be worried.”
The
man fell silent. He drew his hands closer, as if he didn't expect it to happen.
And then he said, “This is the magic where I create fire. Don't you want to watch
it?”
She
looked at him. This silence, it was going to kill her anyway.
“Never
mind.” The man laughed out. “You have your urgency. So until we meet again,
good bye.” He took his hat off and brought it down to present a full bow.
Rinita
looked at his eyes now, as he stood on his feet straight. They were brownish,
and had a yellow flame in them. She had always heard about the eyes those
magicians have… attractive, gorgeous, deep and appealing. There was something
in his eyes that asked something to her. And she realised she could neither
move or take her away from that place to anywhere, as if her body was stoned to
death at the same place for ages.
The
hawk flew away, with a sudden cry, as the darkest paths of the city remained
silent, with the half-moon hovering in the December sky amongst the thin fog
spread across the city. The high rise buildings in the distant places remained
the proof of a man walking under a dark top hat, throwing a piece of white
paper which resembled something like a visiting card to the body which lied
still in the footpath…hands spread, head bent and eyes that were not going to
see anything of this mortal world. And a thin bloodline ended in the nearby
drain which seemed to start somewhere near the neck. She was dead.
With
silence, the piece of paper fell somewhere very near the body. And then two
words appeared out of nowhere in it. It was his last trick that night.
'The
Magician'