Magic has always been my favourite thing. It was an escape for me when times were rough, and they frequently were. My parents abandoned me when I was three, and I was in the foster system until I was 17. It's kinda crazy, I haven't even been out a decade. I started in seventh grade, I used to wow my friends. I'm glad I'm finally making some money off of it, even if I still have to work a shit job. I want to make magic my career, but that's difficult. Right now I'm going Downtown, Citywalk, Downtown Disney, places like that. If there's one thing Floridians like more than alligators and oranges, it's magic. Everyone adores me here for some reason, and it makes for good money.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Liberty Garcia, and what you are about to see will change the way you perceive the world of magic. Or it totally might not, but that's okay."
The audience laughs.
"Now I haven't been living in Orlando that long, but I'm starting to get the feeling that Disney world is pretty big here, am I wrong?"
The crowd cheers. Floridians have succumb to the money-stealing corporate giant known as Disney parks, and even though I refuse to buy into the Disney facade, they have a very clever way of masking themselves. I mean, everyone loves talking animals.
"So In honour of this city's most prized possession, my next trick will be Disney themed, I guess. I'm going to need a volunteer from the audience. How about you? The little girl in the green dress. Yeah, come on up here."
I always choose children when it comes to picking volunteers, the sheer happiness and joy that presents itself on their faces is one of the best feelings, probably ever.
"Okay, so what is your name?"
"Lily"
"Aw, beautiful name, that is. So Lily, who is you favourite Disney princess?"
When Lily responds with Ariel, I have to pause and reminisce a little bit, even if it is for a split second. Ariel was one of the only female role models in my life growing up, even if she was only sixteen.
"She's my favourite too! What a small world. Okay Lily, I'm gonna get you to close your eyes, and picture Ariel in your head, can you do that? Okay good. But first, I'm gonna get you to pick a card from this deck. Now if you look closely, you'll notice that this isn't an ordinary deck, because instead of numbers it has a place. Now can you take your card and show it to the audience?"
Lily shows her card to the audience, the biggest smile on her face. I know the card says Belles castle, be she doesn't need to know that.
"Okay, now I'm gonna get you to pick three ping pong balls from this hat I have here. Got them? Okay, now pick one and put the others back. Now tell me what it says"
"It says p.p."
"Okay, and what Disney characters initials are P.P? You guys might need to help her with this."
I hear multiple screams from the audience, "Peter Pan!!" They all say.
"I'm hearing Peter Pan right now, I'm pretty sure you guys are right. Guess we'll just have to see, yeah?"
More cheers emit from the crowd.
"Now most of you have noticed that there is a closed sketchbook behind me, right? Well let's open that up."
I lift the from cover of the sketchbook to reveal a drawing of Peter Pan. Gasps emanate from the crowd, when the realization that the "random" ping pong ball that the girl picked was drawn in my closed sketchbook. I lift the second page to reveal Belles Castle, and more gasps.
"Now at the beginning of this trick, you said that your favourite princess what Ariel, right?"
Lily nods.
"Well, when I lift the third page, you'll find that the third picture is of, in fact, Ariel."
Screams of acclamation come from the crowd, and the biggest smile forms on my face. I thank Lily for being such a great volunteer, and send her back to the audience.
" Now for my final trick, I'm going to make myself disappear. Thank you for being such a great audience!! I'm Liberty Garcia, goodnight!"
I throw something on the stage and purple smoke emerges aggressively from the ground. As it disperses, the audience is left with a Mickey Mouse plush in my place. There is great applause from the crowd, until someone starts screaming.
"You didn't think I would leave you guys, did you?" The crowd roars with excitement. "Good show" I mutter to myself. I watch as a flurry of people drop coins and bills into the hat on stage. I might be able to afford that dress that I saw the other day.
As I'm walking back up to the stage to pack up, a man in a blue hoodie bumps into me. I'm quick to apologize, but he says nothing and moves along. "Dick" I mutter under my breath, and start packing up my things. As I'm packing, I notice that something is stuck to the front of my jacket. I peel it off and take a look at it. A tarot card. On it is a picture of the moon illuminating a field. "The Moon" it says. I flip it over and what I see makes my pupils dilate immensely with shock.
The Eye.
March 29 4:44 pm
45 east Evan street, NY
I gulped heavily, the realization of what I just read hitting me. Have you ever been so in shock and exited about something that you physically started screaming and running around? Well that was me, and it was my first time doing it. I made a complete fool of myself in the middle of downtown Orlando. Well, at least I know what my weekend plans are.
