Despite feeling exhausted, Emmanuel dared not overlook a single detail for the evening's rehearsal. When Miss Huxley and her chaperone arrived at the theater, Joshua met them with a bouquet of roses Emmanuel purchased for the occasion. He hoped the warm welcome set the tone for Winnifred's experience. He knew he would only get one chance to win her over.

Peeking through the stage curtain, he watched Winifred follow Joshua down the aisle to the center of theater. Even in the dim light, she looking striking in a black and white striped dress, her dark hair worn down in cascading curls. A smirk spread across his face as he watched Joshua fawn over her, no doubt already telling her promises of wealth and fame if she chose to join the production. Closing the curtain, Emmanuel returned to double-check that all of his props ready for the performance.

Anthony lingered in the shadows with the stage hands. He'd managed to find Emmanuel a new assistant only hours prior. Her name was Penelope and she was nearly perfect for the task. A slight thing with pale skin and strawberry blonde hair, she thankfully fit into one of Rachel's old costumes. Though she claimed to never worked in a theater before, Emmanuel was impressed with her ability to move gracefully through the required steps for each of the illusions. It almost made him regret that her first performance would be her last.

When the house lights went down, the cue from the stage manager signaled to Emmanuel that everything was ready. Parting the curtains, Emmanuel walked the X marked at center stage with his head down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be astonished with magic from beyond our world. Behold the wonder and mystical powers of Admiratio the Great!" Joshua announced as the stage lights were turned on to their full power.

Normally following Joshua's announcement Emmanuel hear  were inaudible due to the thunderous applause, but with none to fill the theater. Lifting his head, Emmanuel scanned the audience before taking a bow. He wore a crimson suit with black trim and top hat, an impressive figure in the harsh stage lights. He slicked back his wavy hair slicked and trimmed his dark moustache to look his best. The dark make-up rimming his eyes hide the very real dark circles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I will take you on a journey without ever leaving this theater. A journey into a realm where the fantastic is possible, and your wildest imagination can take flight!"

Two pairs of white doves emerged and took fright, one from each of the magician's outstretched arms. The four birds went skyward, then off to stage left where the stage hands were ready to collect them back in their cages. Pausing out of habit for the applause an audience would normally provide, Emmanuel smiled and continued.

"They call me Admiratio the Great because I am able to perform great acts of magic. Let me first demonstrate my powers with the mystical power of the rings."

Penelope walked out onto the stage at this cue, her sparkling dress shimmering with every step. She moved a little stiffly, but she was able to deliver the three rings to Emmanuel's open hand without fail. Emmanuel thrust each of the rings above his head to demonstrate they were separate from one another. He then clanged them against one another to show that they were solid metal rings.

 With a flick of his wrist, Emmanuel tossed the three rings into the air and juggled them. He did this for a few seconds before snatching one of the rings out of the air, ensnaring all three rings in an interlocked chain. He then twirled the rings in front on his finger to demonstrate that the rings were indeed locked together.  In the yawning silence that would have been audience applause, Emmanuel threw the rings up and caught them each separately as they appeared to magically break apart. He bowed and handed them back to Penelope before moving on to his next illusion.

The remainder of the program were standard tricks; Emmanuel pulled out an enormous chain of multi-colored scarves from his pocket, he made a small rubber ball disappear and seemingly travel across stage in Penelope's waiting hand. His only unusual trick was shattering a glass vase and then returning it to unbroken after placing it in a velvet bag. 

Throughout the performance, Emmanuel paused and bowed for applause. Each time when none came, he found himself becoming more and more nervous that he was failing to impress Winnifred. But he did not despair; he was confident the newest addition to his performance would leave her speechless.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to move into something new," he announced with a flourish. "Now I must warn those who are faint of heart, or perhaps those frightened of black magic, to leave the auditorium at once."

The spooky disclaimer was Joshua's idea. It was just more mystique to add to the performance.

"For our final illusion, I will require a member from the audience to assist!" Emmanuel walked  to the edge of the stage, pointing into the darkness. "Ms. Huxley! As our guest of honor this evening, would you be so kind as to join me on stage for this final illusion?"

He was unsure if Winnifred would be receptive to the invitation, but in a matter moments he spied her striped dress in the dim light nearing the stage. She followed the stage hand's direction to find the stairs and soon emerged from behind the velvet curtain. She looked a bit frightened a she shielded her eyes from the bright stage lights. Emmanuel held out the crook of his arm to her.

"My dear, thank you for honoring me with your presence," he purred.

Reluctantly, Winifred took his arm. Emmanuel guided her toward center stage where the wooden chest sat on a short, metal table no more than two feet tall. The legs of the table terminated in wheels so that it could be easily turned about.

"Please take a moment and inspect this ordinary trunk," he said, gesturing toward the trunk.

 Flashing him a suspicious look, Winifred proceeded to run her curious hands all over the outside of the trunk. Noticing the strange markings on the lid, she ran her fingers in the worn notches. They were long hash marks creating a border on the lid with a circle and three smaller dots carved in the middle.

"Where did this thing come from?" she asked.

"Nowhere important. It's merely a stage prop, my dear," he quipped.

Evidently satisfied with the response, Winifred continued to inspect the trunk.

"Do be sure to check the inside as well!" Emmanuel added.

Winifred turned the silver key which protruded from the lock. Emmanuel realized he was holding his breath as he watched her open the chest. Much to his relief, it was empty. Turning back to the magician, Winifred gave him a terse nod to show that she was satisfied with the inspection.

"Could you detect anything unusual about the chest?" he asked. Winifred raised an eyebrow, certain that there was some trick to the thing, but clearly a touch frustrated that even her keen eyes were unable to detect whatever it was.

"Nothing," she said to Emmanuel, then turning to the empty audience. "It is, by all appearances, a perfectly ordinary trunk."

Emmanuel smiled. Perhaps Joshua was right about her showmanship after all.

"Excellent, then I shall ask but one more favor of you," Emmanuel extended hand to Winifred. He guided her to the opposite side of the ominous trunk. Anthony emerged with a large velvet cushion in hand and, after a polite nod, placed the cushion on the ground at Winifred's feet. 

"Would you be so kind as to recline upon this cushion to observe the underside of the chest? It is the only way there can be no doubt to the magic about to transpire."

Winifred hesitated for a moment, her eyes searching Emmanuel's face. He knew that she didn't fully trust him, but the pressure to perform on stage was too great. Carefully, she lowered herself onto the floor so that the layers of her dress could remain as modest as possible. In about a minute she laid on the ground with her head directly under the trunk. 

"Now that Ms. Huxley has been secured, you all can be certain that there is no trap door, mirror, or other device that could aid in the escape from the dreaded Chest of Darkness!" 

Penelope skipped out onto the stage and took Emmanuel's hand. 

They'd only walked through the trick once in rehearsal, but Emmanuel did not want to tempt fate into ruining his chance to impress Ms. Huxley. Penelope stepped into the trunk and crouched down on all fours. Emmanuel carefully closed the lid. His heart raced with terror, as if whatever strange fever-dream was leading him forward might all just be a trick of his imagination. As he latched the lid and turned the silver key, the click sounded as finite as the last scoop of dirt on a fresh grave.

He need not worry: the chest was hungry.

Pulling the silver key away from the lock, Emmanuel turned to the crowd with a buoyant smile, arms raised triumphantly though the trick had not been completely performed.

"And now ladies and gentleman, through the dark powers of this ordinary chest, our lovely assistant will be transported across time and space into the spirit realm where only our wildest dreams and darkest fantasies can exist."

As Emmanuel talked, Winifred stared up at the trunk with a sullen expression until a loud shriek emulated from inside. Stunned at first, it wasn't until another terrified scream came from inside the trunk that Winifred panicked.

"I think the lady is in some distress, release her!" she shouted, placing her hand up to touch the bottom of the chest. Emmanuel ignored her.

Another, louder scream came from the chest. This time Winifred pulled herself out from under the trunk and sprang to her feet whirled.

"Open it up, something's wrong! I think she's in pain," she shouted.

She won't be for much longer, Emmanuel thought as pulled out the silver key. The moment Emmanuel sank the key into the trunk's lock, a horrible silence tell upon the stage.

Winnifred shot Emmanuel a wild, terrified glare.

"Open it," she said.

Slowly, the magician undid the latch and pulled back the lid, revealing to Winifred's astonished eyes a completely empty container. Reveling in the her obvious shock, Emmanuel turned to his meager audience and beamed with pride.

"Vanished into thin air, ladies and gentleman!"

Somewhere in the dark, Joshua and Ms. Huxley's aunt clapped and cheered. Winifred did not cheer. Instead, she ran her shaking hands all over the inside of the trunk.

"Is there something the matter, my dear?" Emmanuel asked.

"What did you do to her?"

"I made her disappear," he replied. "That was the trick!"

"But she was screaming. Something went wrong."

Emmanuel could not hide his delight in truly stumping the young woman. Winifred continued her exploration of the trunk undeterred, running her delicate fingers along the edge of the lid when she let out a small yelp of pain. Pulling her hand away quickly, Emmanuel spotted the bright shock of blood upon her hand. Emmanuel pulled out his handkerchief to her, but she pushed it away.

"It cut me!" she cried. They both looked down at the trunk and the smear of blood along a jagged splinter.

"I'm terribly sorry! A stray splinter I'm afraid."

"What is the meaning of this!" Joshua shouted from the edge of the stage, nearly out of breath from huffing down the aisles and up the stairs. "Good god, is that blood?! Are you hurt, Ms. Huxley!"

"It was an accident," she replied, clutching the wound.

"I'm so sorry to hear that! You know, Admiratio the Great always insists on authentic props for his performances, so they can be a little rough around the edges, you know? I do hope you didn't get any blood that got on your beautiful dress!" Joshua said.

"I think it shall be fine. Everything's fine, right?" Winifred replied, turning to Emmanuel. "It was all just an illusion, right?"

"Just a little magic," Emmanuel replied with a smirk.

"How does it work?" Winifred asked, narrowing her eyes at the magician. "Where did she go?"

"You know that a great performer never gives away their secrets, Ms. Huxley. You saw first hand how marvelous this little trick was, imagine how well it will play out with a full crowd of patrons out there!" He swept of his arms out, gesturing to the empty seats in the audience. "When we sell out here, you can count 300 people in those seats. That's 300 people hanging onto your every word, 300 cheers when you win them over with a trick, 300 devoted fans."

Emmanuel could see the wheels turn in the young lady's head. 

He knew she didn't like him. And more than that, he knew she did not trust him. But she was a smart woman who was beginning to see the potential in Emmanuel's offer. 

"You needn't bother to know how I do my magic, just tell me that you will join me on stage and help to build the ambience of our little show. Help bring in some mystery and romance; showcase all the talents that you do for your small gatherings in front of our big crowds!" Emmanuel added. 

Several seconds passed before Winnifred finally replied.

"How much of the door would you pay me each night then to be a part of your little show?"

Joshua looked from Emmanuel to Winifred.

"We would be prepared to offer you twenty percent," he replied with a nod. Winifred rubbed her chin as she considered it.

"I'll take nothing less than thirty percent of the door. And I still wish to have the freedom to run my own private business for my clients," she replied. Then after a small pause, added "And I would like to be in charge of my own wardrobe. If I am to appear on stage with you, I don't need to be wearing something that makes me look like a prostitute. I have a respectable reputation to uphold and I plan to keep it, is that understood?"

"Excellent! We rehearse each night starting at seven," Joshua said, turning to Emmanuel with a wink. "Best get working on the new program right away, old chap!"

Clasping the young lady's hand in both of his own sweaty ones, Joshua was happy to cement the deal. Especially before the she had enough wits about her to demand even more.