Illusions Begin

  ***

  Becky was giddy with excitement when she handed her ticket over to the man at the door. He smiled at her and looked around as if expecting a companion. She didn’t wait for the pitying look or the appreciative one that would come when he realized she was there all alone. She was entirely too excited to let anyone get to her tonight. Instead, she quickly grabbed her ticket stub and walked into the large theater, instantly feeling like a little girl all over again. As she made her way down the aisle toward the front row, memories of cotton candy and lite-up toys began to dance through her mind. She could almost smell the sweetness of the treats in the air and hear the vendor shouting that his toys were for sale. She rubbed at the goose bumps that formed on her arms from all of the wonderful memories. In fact, it was one of the best childhood memories she had.

  She had no problem finding her seat; she had been to the theater many times before for other shows. Still having about thirty minutes before the show would begin, she sat back to wait, but she didn’t mind. In fact, she loved to sit and observe the people as they filed in and took their seats. Most were families, parents with their children, excited for the show they were about to see. Some were older couples with their grandchildren in tow, all equally as excited. She got a little nostalgic when she saw the grandparents taking the time to spend with their grandchildren. Becky’s were always too busy when she was younger and by the time they retired, they were too old and so was she to enjoy any sort of childhood adventures like this. Shaking the sentimental thought away, she continued to people watch. As the people filed in and the seats began to fill, she was happy to see that there were even a few young couples, maybe on a date or newly married. She could always tell by how loving they seemed to each other, unable to stray too far from one another.

  She loved to see all the different types of people that, for just a couple of hours, shared her love for magic. Though the children were what intrigued her the most. Their faces were so pure and innocent, so eager to see what would happen up on that big stage. To them, she knew that it all seemed larger than life, so unreal. That was how it had felt for her when she witnessed her very first magic show. To be perfectly honest, she still felt a little of that now. Sitting back and watching someone do things seemingly out of thin air, by magic, was entrancing. It was surreal and mesmerizing. That was why she loved it so much. She liked the idea of something being magical and unknown. She couldn’t help that tiny hidden part of her that hoped maybe there was more to the world than fact, logic, and rules.

  Caught up in her daydream, Becky hadn’t realized that someone had taken the seat beside her until a sharp elbow met her rib. Instinctively crying out and reaching for her side, she turned to look at the occupant of the seat beside her.

  “Oh, I am so sorry,” the man said leaning toward her, true concern etched on his face.

  “Oh, it’s okay. It wasn’t even that bad. You startled me more than anything.” Becky could feel her cheeks blush. The man was really cute. Probably a few years older than her, dark hair, dark eyes, nice face and looked fit from what she could see of his sitting form.

  “Are you sure?” his eyes scanned her face as if looking for confirmation. She smiled at him in reassurance. “I really am sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. I was worried I was late so I was rushing.”

  Becky’s smile grew at the idea of someone being as enthusiastic as she was about the upcoming show. “Yes, I’m sure that I’m fine. Are you excited about the performance?” she asked eagerly.

  “Oh well, not exactly…” he trailed off when a woman came rushing to the seat beside him calling out his name.

  “Thomas! I am so sorry I’m late!” she bent and kissed him before taking her seat beside him.

  Becky quickly turned from the couple and tuned out their conversation, a little bummed and embarrassed. Seeing him sitting there unaccompanied, she had thought maybe he came to the show alone, like she did. She had hoped that she had miraculously found someone that didn’t care what others thought but loved the idea of the magic so much he would risk embarrassment. She had been wrong of course.

  Sadly, she was pretty sure there wasn’t another soul like her. Thankfully the lights dimmed before her thoughts could get any more depressing. The room became almost pitch black and she heard squeals and cries from the children around her, followed by parents reassuring or hushing them. Then the music started and the magician appeared in the center of the stage, out of thin air. Becky had seen it a million times before, but she still let out a soft gasp in surprise and delight. It never seemed to get old.

  As the show began, all the depressing thoughts of being lonely and all the overwhelming thoughts of following in her parents footsteps completely melted away. She became entirely caught up in the tricks and illusions of the magician. She allowed it to sweep her away. The only thing that pulled her from the performance on the stage was an odd feeling she got twice during the show. It wasn’t anything overly obvious, but a weird feeling that prickled the back of her neck and had her glancing over her shoulder. There was never anything out of the ordinary around so she just shrugged both times, chalking it up to the buzz and excitement around her. She sat back and enjoyed the rest of the amazing show, content for the time being, and enjoying what she loved most in the world.

  Magic.