The crowd wanted him to continue with the act. Smiling at the cheers that were filling the silent room, he flicked his wrist out to his side allowing a black and white wand to slip out from his sleeve. Catching it in his hand he pointed it out to the crowd and laughed a theatrical laugh.

“For my next trick,” He flamboyantly gestured offstage, “I will need my assistant’s assistance.” He smiled at his word humor.

He walked to the side of the stage and pulled onstage a large box on wheels. Decorated with gold this box stood about half as tall as him. He lifted the lid and looked inside, his face filled with mock surprise.

“Oh dear,” He gripped the box and tilted it so that the audience could see inside. Within the box was a naked woman laying at the bottom, her body relaxed and sleeping. Gravity pulled a swatch of brown hair away from her face to reveal a large bruise across her forehead. “It appears as though my assistant has decided to take a nap within this box.”

He tilted the box back upright. “No matter, I was going to have her get in there anyway so shall we continue?”

The sound of the audience’s laughter and screams to continue made no echoes yet filled his ears till a smile graced his face. “Over here I have some rather sharp swords.” He turned the box so that some swords were revealed attached to the back. The crowd went wild when the swords were shown. He made a note of a family in the back, the father sitting next to a pregnant wife while their children sat in the chairs just in front of them. It seemed that the empty screams were the loudest from them. They had been to almost every one of his shows; his most devoted fans.

He lifted one of the swords from where it rested and used his other hand to close the lid. He smiled at the audience as he stabbed the sword in the side of the box. “The sharpness of these blades is something to be marveled at. I’ve heard that,” He shoved another blade into the box at a different angle. “At one time kings used these blades for battle against dragons and other creatures.” A dark puddle was spreading across the stage from the bottom of the box as he shoved another blade in to the hilt. “They came into my possession while I was traveling in India.” With each thrust of a blade the crowd’s gasps lifted his heart. The final blade met its target straight down. “Well, it seems that we have taught my assistant a lesson. Thank you all for being here for this momentous occasion.”

His eyes flowed over the unmoving crowd and then back to the box. This one would make a nice member of the audience. He would probably use her to replace one of the children whose smell was becoming unbearable. One needed an audience.