Daily Flash Fiction Entries

The Final Act

The ooohs and aaahs from the children—and their parents—filled Anna’s chest with pride.

The magic show was a hit.

Considering how much he charged for his services—and how difficult it was to even book him, given his elite reputation—it was easy to see why he was worth the trouble.

However, there was something otherworldly about him.

Maybe it was his tall, lanky frame, his drooping features, or the clammy pallor of his skin. She remembered the chill of his handshake. But above all, it was his eyes—piercing, inky black, brimming with secrets—that unsettled her.

“And now, for my final act,” he announced, his accent impossible to place. “I will need a volunteer.”

“Me!”

Anna cheered as her birthday girl bounded onto the stage. Ellie’s smile was wide as she climbed into a rainbow-colored box, just big enough to hold her five-year-old frame.

Anna snapped pictures as her daughter waved goodbye before the lid closed, trapping her inside.

For the briefest moment, she caught a flicker of something dark on the Magician’s face. Then he raised his wand, and in a cloud of smoke, both he and the box vanished.

The audience erupted in applause. Anna clapped too, at first.

Then she waited.

…and waited.

…and waited some more.

The cheers faded into murmurs. The murmurs curdled into panic.

Terror clawed its way up Anna’s throat as she remembered the words printed boldly on his flyer:

“It’s time to believe in Magic again.”





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Word Count: 248
Prompt: The Magician at the birthday party uses real magic
Written For: "WDC Birthday Carnival"