PART 14
– Everyone has a role in life, the enchanter continued. Mine has always been to find people like you, to allow the adult population of the world to keep its childhood wonder. You understand?
No, I didn’t understand. Why did adults have to keep their childhood wonder? The question went over my head, but I decided that it wasn’t terribly important. I'd have plenty of time to think about it later.
– Why me? I finally managed to say.
– I’ve been observing you for a while. You have all the necessary qualities. Imagination, determination… You will make millions of people dream. You will be the empress of hearts.
The old man reached for something over my head and, as if by magic, a card appeared in his hand: it was, would you believe it, the queen of hearts. He played with it for a few moments: the card disappeared and reappeared between his long fingers. Then he carried on:
– You will do as well as your predecessors, the ones you see in these portraits, even better than them perhaps.
What I was hearing seemed frightfully exciting. At the same time, a bit of tenacious mistrust continued to bother me:
– It’s easy for you. You have real magic powers. All I manage to do is set fire to my grandfather’s beard. How can I ever become this great magician you’re talking about? You’ll teach me spells, is that it?
The enchanter shook his head.
– You don’t need that. Deep Inside, you possess the formidable power of invention. Use this unique gift and you will enchant crowds.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the cracked notebook he had found during the trick that had shocked me so much.
– You were talking of real magic. I’ve used some to make you come here and send your brother home, I’ll admit. As for the rest, everything you’ve seen in the shop, my body cut in half, the costume change, your levitating brother, was smoke and mirrors.
– Your body cut in half was a trick? I exclaimed.
The enchanter nodded.
– You’ll be able to do that too. You’ll do many other tricks as well: you’ll walk on pool water in front of swimmers’ disbelieving eyes, you’ll go through glass as if it were smoke, and you’ll even make the sun disappear! People will call it a miracle, but you, you’ll have your imagination and your hard work to thank. Look at this grimoire.
The old man opened his notebook and put it under my nose. I leafed through the first few pages: from what I could tell, they were full of mysterious drawings and annotations, but it was never the same ink or handwriting.
– What you are looking at are the best tricks invented by those present in the portraits, explained by their own hand. All the tricks I’ve shown you are there, including the cabinet disappearance, which can be perfectly executed without any real magic.
He gestured at the room and added:
– And here are the accessories that, at one point or another, they used to create them. My collection is always growing…
Without warning, the enchanter then grabbed my arm and brought me to another corner in the shop.
– And now, the moment I’ve been waiting for so long, he announced.
In the corner, were patiently waiting for me a wooden stool, a sheet covering an easel and, hanging on the wall, a drape that I hadn’t noticed: it was the same as in the portraits. I understood what was going to happen, though I didn’t dare believe it. The enchanter sat me down in front of the drape. He pretended to pick up a camera and looked at me through an imaginary viewfinder. Clic clac, he said, and pressed an imaginary button. He then turned to face the easel and pulled off the sheet in one grand movement. A canvas appeared in all its splendour: it was my own portrait. Sat in front of the starry blue background, I looked good, and the serious look on my face was exactly the same as the one I had seen on all the other faces, and that had had such an effect on me.
My photographer then took the portrait and hung it where apparently it belonged, next to the others.
– There we go, he declared. I’ll add your stage name when you have chosen it.
He admired his new trophy for a moment before turning around, looking radiant. On the wall next to him, a clock chimed.
– It is time for you to go home, now.
Of course I would have loved to learn more, but at the same time, I knew that our conversation couldn’t last forever. I looked out the window and frowned: outside, it was snowing as hard as ever and the wind was stronger. The journey back home was going to be hard.
– Don’t worry, the old man hurried to add.
He seemed to carefully choose his words then continued:
– You're promised to a long reign, dear, and I won't allow the cold to give a queen like you a red nose. I hope what I'm saying is as clear as a bell. Now, let’s not waste any time. What is your preferred form of transport? No, no! Don’t tell me! I’ll demonstrate my power of suggestion to you. A power that is also based on a trick, by the way. Take this and draw your answer on it. Any answer. Now, I am bombarding you with my mental waves…
I took the board and chalk he was handing me. I only hesitated for a moment before quickly drawing the first mode of transport that, in that minute of this memorable day, Christmas Day, went through my mind.
What do you think it was?
After a few moments, I showed him my masterpiece.
– Bingo! He exclaimed. I knew it!
He pointed to the window, and I looked to see what he was gesturing at: outside, bombarded by snowflakes as big as my fist, a coachman bundled up in a fur coat was quietly parking his vehicle, the same vehicle I had drawn on my chalkboard. It was a sleigh, a sleigh pulled by four enormous reindeer pawing at the ground and frothing in the cold air.
(Go to PART 15)