61 The Fire That You Ligh (2/2)

”I admit he is cocky, but wanting to shoot to fame should be wrong.” I looked at him and frowned. ”He is incredibly famous. One of the top 5 magicians in the world, actually.” Sebastian scoffed.

”He seems subpar to be honest.” I shrugged.

”I'm not a connoisseur, so I wouldn't know.” The tricks remained controlled.

”I present to you, the final act of the evening!” the magician exclaimed.

I sat straight and concentrated.

A metal monstrosity appeared out of the side, wheeled in by two beautiful women. I rolled my eyes and tried not to think about the sexism in the industry.

It was a metallic bull… from what I could see, it was bronze. I found myself confused and fascinated at the same time. I had never seen a trick like this. The bull was pried open and the magician showed us the inside.

”As you can see, there is nothing inside.” He called on a member of the audience. ”Sir, come, stand by me. I have an important task for you.” His demeanor had changed. The cockiness was gone. It was somewhat replaced by a pure delight.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Sebastian shifting to match my position.

”Do you see how his body language changed completely?” he whispered. I nodded.

”Why do you think that?” I asked.

”This is probably the first time he is showing this trick and he is vying for validation from the audience. It is a mixture of joy and performativity. He wants the audience to mirror his delight, to tell him how fascinated they are… how they are dying to know what will come next.” I nodded.

”It's like revealing your thesis after you have found all the data to back it.” I had felt that way quite a bit, and I could imagine it would be the same for anyone who had to write theses.

”Exactly.”

”You will simply have to screw the bull shut and then light it on fire.” The audience member, a teenage girl, looked at him in confusion but nodded nonetheless. ”As you see, this pedestal is used for an artificial bonfire.” He then turned to address the larger audience. ”Tonight, I will make the impossible happen. Pinocchio once wanted to turn into a real boy… tonight, this bronze bull will take a life of its own.”

I squinted. He was going to make a real bull appear in front of such a big crowd without any covers?

”I will forge it with the fire that you light,” he said, pointing straight at the girl.