A Magician Never Reveals

Page 01

I still can't believe that my mother's dead.

I stumbled backwards and grabbed the corner of the kitchen table, eyes wide and chest heaving. The pool of blood was inches away, still spreading slowly.

Was I dreaming?

At three in the morning, that seemed reasonable. My mind was foggy with sleep; there was only a thin line between reality and imagination. I had dreams like this all the time, where someone I loved died.

So why did it feel so real?

Every other time, I had known, at least subconsciously, that it was a dream. So why was my heart beating in my chest so loud? Why was there so much adrenaline pumping through my blood?

I shakily walked forward and crouched down, my hands quivering over my mom's face. Her eyes were open and unseeing, so I waved in front of them.

"Mom? You can hear me, right? You'll still wake up and scold me for draining all the WiFi, right? You're... you're not dead, right?" My voice trembled, and a tear slipped out. I waited for a few seconds, my breath ragged. When she didn't respond, I repeated, "Right?"

I paused and watched her carefully, waiting for her to... do something.

She still wouldn't look at me. I bit my lip and began to shake her. "You said you wouldn't leave me! After Dad left, you said you'd stay by my side! Mom, listen to me! Mom!" I was shouting, quivering, and punching her. When I realized what I was doing, I stopped abruptly, and the house was silent for a few long, agonizing minutes. Only the sound of the clock ticking and my crying could be heard.

I took one more deep breath and wiped my nose. It wouldn't do any good to stay in denial. I looked at my mom one more time before reaching over and carefully closing her eyes.

Suddenly, a ringing cut through the room. I jumped, snapping my head to the phone and squinting through my tears. Nope, didn't recognize that number.

After four rings, it stopped, and the voice mail spoke. "Hello. You have reached the Raymond residence. Please record your message after the beep."

Beep. I held my breath in anticipation, waiting for the caller to speak.

The voice that spoke was cold and sharp. "The letter on your table. We're coming to take it. Give it or die."

Oh, great. My mom's dead and I might join her soon.

I sat there for a while, letting my thoughts wander before I came to a sudden realization, my eyes widening. Wait, didn't she tell me to do something? I bolted up and rushed to the kitchen table. On it lay an envelope, face up and tape torn. I stared at it for a few seconds before slapping my forehead.

My mom had told me to open it. I picked it up, blessing my agile mind. What would its contents say? Would it be something I liked? As I kept staring at it and allowing my mind to continue spewing out questions, my heart started thumping faster. Faster, and faster, and faster until I was nearly hyperventilating. "Screw it." I ripped the envelope open and shook out the letter.

My eyes scanned over it, mouthing out the words as I read. When I finished, I raised my head slowly and dropped my hands to my side, falling into a stupefied trance. My grip loosened and the paper slipped out, landing next to the puddle of blood. My mind took a moment to process the words.

What was the significance?

I felt something inside me snap a little and doubled over in laughter, letting go of all the tension that had bundled up inside of me. Maybe my sanity was unraveling; I didn't know and couldn't care. It felt so good to get rid of all the suspense.

"Mom died over that? You've got to be kidding me. You've got to me kidding me." I shook my head, a maniacal laugh escaping my lips. "And now I've got to keep anyone from knowing? So what if they find out? This has got to be a joke." I glanced at my mom's slumped body. "This has got to be a joke."

Right, of course! I was going to wake up in the morning and all of this would be over. Duh! No one would die over something so stupid. In fact, I had almost forced myself to believe that, but my bliss was short-lived. It ended when I heard the rumble of a car engine.

The people were coming. I grit my teeth and grabbed the letter, shoving it into the pocket of my jeans. Before running out the back door, I turned around to see my mom one more time. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll give you a proper burial when I come back." I allowed myself a small smile before dashing out, cutting across our backyard and over the fence.

When I glanced back, I was able to see the kitchen from the glow of our lights. People wearing pressed suits and gelled-back hair broke in, pummeling my mom's body in search of the letter after seeing that it wasn't on the table. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, pushing my legs to move faster.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Even if the secret's stupid, I won't reveal it."

I ran around the corner and paused to catch my breath. "I get it, Mom. A magician never reveals."

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feedback or votes? i think i like the edited version a lot better. :)