Fall 2022 | Occasus | Issue 12
A Magician’s Legacy
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“Encore! Encore!” chanted the audience in the mansion’s grand library; the dark magenta walls and golden pillars supported the gorgeous baroque ceiling. Mateo Máxica, a legendary magician, performed for a dozen private guests in his home, including figures such as the mayor. In addition to the famous guests, Máxica’s 12-year-old son Antonio stood among the crowd and smirked, knowing what would happen next. Máxica picked up a wooden puzzle box resembling a can from the shelf beside him and held it high in the air for everyone to see. His tight suit on his skinny frame stretched as he displayed the block of wood. “This puzzle is called The Interwoven Twigs. On its own, a twig is easy to snap; however, when bundled together, it becomes as tough as a log. Whoever can take apart this block will not only be gifted this memento but also a free ticket to my next show in Vegas,” he grinned with an inviting smile. Some of them began by tapping it to see if there were any hollow parts; others would press on the various patterns and crevices in hopes that they were buttons. The mayor was the last to attempt the puzzle, but he too could not solve it and handed it over to Máxica in defeat. The legendary magician held the box patiently, allowing the anticipation in the crowd to rise. “You see, imagine that these twigs are people. When they haven’t reached the peaks of success, they are more than willing to stick together. However, the moment they are soaring above the crowd…” Before finishing his sentence, Máxica threw the puzzle into the air and the log-like box separated into individual twigs. As the pieces trickled back down, he effortlessly caught them in the palm of his hand like a skilled waiter with a tray. “… they separate, and everything falls apart.” The crowd was stunned. No one had a clue how he took apart the puzzle so fast right in front of their eyes. Amazed by Máxica’s skill, they erupted in thunderous applause. “Thank you. Thank you.” Máxica boasted as he put the scrambled pieces back on the shelf, “Now let’s move on to the next tricks, shall we?” The guests followed him throughout the library as he continued his performance.
As the guests were about to leave, Máxica motioned towards the shelf with the once scrambled wooden twigs, revealing a reassembled wooden cylinder. Now, the crowd was even more stunned and speechless than before since they were with Máxica the entire time; there was no way he could have slipped away to reassemble the puzzle. Just like the countless tricks before, the audience was left with no other reaction but to applaud in jaw-dropped amazement. After all the guests left the mansion, Antonio would run into his father’s arms and Mateo would ruffle his son’s hair with joy. Antonio was the secret to the final trick. With Mateo distracting the crowd, Antonio would be the one to slip away and fit the pieces back together. With the guests gone, both father and son mimicked the stunned faces of the audience, laughing with glee. His father arranged many luxurious vacations for him, but Antonio enjoyed this moment at home more than all of them combined. Six years later, all Antonio could hear in the mansion was the sound of the grandfather clock ticking. The 18-year-old stood by the door to his father’s library. It had been a week since his father’s unexpected passing, but he had finally found the strength to help clean out the room. As he roamed around, the varnished oak wood flooring reflected the flickering flames of the fireplace; the glimmer created dancing shadows around the room. He looked around the library, glancing at the aged books and odd trinkets that filled the shelves on the walls.
The first item that Antonio noticed was a black box, a standard magician’s prop. Antonio remembered his father showing him how to make things disappear with it when he was in kindergarten at a private school. During this time, his father was not yet famous and was performing at local bars, giving him all the time in the world to teach his son magic tricks. Its mirrors and trap doors were all a magician needed to pull off a stunning performance, at least by kindergarten standards. After practicing the tricks endlessly with his father, he brought it to school one day for show and tell, performing the magic trick for all his class to see. They cheered him on and praised him for his astonishing performance. As soon as Antonio went home, he ran to his father’s arms, rambling on about how awesome it was to pull off the trick and how many new friends he made from doing it. Even now, as Antonio stood in the library, he couldn’t help but smile as he remembered that moment. Next, Antonio saw the cylindrical wooden puzzle box resting on the shelf. A tear rolled down his cheek when he thought about pulling off that performance with his father in the evenings to entertain the guests. Six years later, Antonio could still remember laughing in his dad’s arms until his stomach ached. He chuckled a little before wiping the tear off his face, picking up the wooden cylinder, and continuing to roam around the library. He noticed Máxica’s black top hat resting on a nightstand his father used for his most famous trick, pulling rabbits out of a hat. Most magicians knew how to pull one rabbit out of a hat but many of them did so with a desk fit for a CEO. Máxica, however, would rarely perform behind large tables and preferred to use a simple nightstand locked into the floor of the stage. Even with the smaller box, he managed to pull off a trick where he’d count his age and pull out the same number of rabbits. His last performance reached 42. Máxica did this trick effortlessly, as if he were simply pulling tissues out of a tissue box, the rabbits’ heads popping up one after another. This was one of the few tricks that Máxica didn’t even reveal to his son. Antonio understood why. Secrets to show-stopping performances should be kept to just the magician. However, he thought that his father would at least tell him. In the corner of the room was his father’s large, red-stained mahogany desk. Máxica was always paranoid about letting people near his desk, even his own son. Despite that, Antonio figured that he should probably sort through the papers in the desk to make sure everything was alright. So, he set the block of wood to the side and began grazing through the piles of documents. After riffling through all the drawers and the countless sheets of paper, Antonio couldn’t find anything unusual; they were mostly just schematics for some of the props Máxica designed for his shows and various other miscellaneous items. Exhausted from rummaging through the desk, Antonio rested his hands on the table and leaned forward, shifting his weight onto his hands. Suddenly, there was a click. The top of the desk popped up. Antonio struggled to remove the heavy slab of wood from the table, but once he did, it revealed dozens of papers and envelopes hidden underneath. Among the mess of documents, there was an opened green envelope with a golden seal. Antonio picked it up and read the words: “To Máxica. From the 13 Serpents.” His hands pulled back as if he were stung by the letter itself and dropped it back into the pile of envelopes. The 13 Serpents was the most powerful mafia in the city, one that coerced celebrities and people in power. Antonio’s mind raced as he puzzled over the letter. Why did his father have a letter from the 13 Serpents? What did he do for them? Worst of all, what did they do to him? When Antonio was younger, he was baffled by how his father seemed to pull money out of thin air with the same effortlessness as his trick with the rabbits. In hindsight, the numbers never felt like they added up. Sure, his father was able to buy a mansion later in his life from his countless sold-out shows in Vegas, but the expensive purchases already happened when his father was still performing at local bars. How many gigs a week did Máxica need to do to provide him with a private school education and vacations that some adults could only dream of? Antonio stared intently at the nightstand and after a dozen possible explanations began bubbling in his head, he realized that it would be best for him to read the letter, to know the truth. He opened the envelope and began to read. Dear
Matteo Máxica.
Congratulations on your magical performance tonight. You are a bright man and we, the 13 Serpents, recognize your talents. We also know that you have found yourself in a troubling financial situation. It would sadden us to see you make desperate choices between eating today and providing a future for your son. Fortunately, money is not a problem for us, and we would like to extend a similar privilege to a man such as yourself. After all, en la union está la furza (the strength lies in uniting). We are not asking for much in return, just your wit and your loyalty. There is simply an item that we would like you to collect; your nimble fingers and clever brain are pivotal to making it happen. If you are interested in this proposition, meet us at the warehouse on 34th street. Alone. See you there, The 13 Serpents Antonio’s legs buckled and his weakened body slumped down on the leather chair. A week ago, his whole world came crumbling down when his father died, but now he felt like the ground beneath him was swallowing him whole. Antonio couldn’t believe the words he had just read but, at the same time, things began making so much more sense. The revelation poisoned his precious memories with his father, infecting his heart with hatred towards him. He felt hatred for being deceived. Hatred for raising him with a life funded by money tainted with blood. Hatred for all the things his father did, no matter how meaningful they were to him. No, especially because of how meaningful they were to him. Antonio’s rage surged through his body, and he clenched the cylindrical puzzle. Staring at the fireplace a few paces away, he threw the wooden artifact, that once brought him closest to his father, into the flames. Antonio’s chest and shoulders rose up and down as he breathed heavily with pursed lips. Tears streamed down his face as he lowered his head in grief.
Antonio closed his eyes, pushing the tears out, before glaring back at the flames. He then noticed an odd shimmer within the fire and went over to take a closer look. The block of wood that was once made up of 13 wooden pieces burned until it revealed 13 serpents made of gold. Antonio stood there speechless and stunned just like the audience he laughed at many years ago. He knelt next to the fireplace and turned his head back towards the desk, eyeing the mahogany table with furrowed eyebrows. Now he needed to know what secrets the dozens of other papers contained. He knew all these illusions would dissipate if he simply chooses to uncover more. Antonio’s body moved toward the desk, but his legs felt cemented to the wooden floor, warning him to not go down the rabbit hole. Perhaps there was a reason why magicians never revealed their secrets. |
Born and raised in Ottawa by Chinese immigrant parents, Eric Wei is currently a first-year economics student at the University of Western Ontario. He spends his spare time exploring his passion for music, teaching, and writing. You will most likely find him either playing piano, chatting with friends, going on a walk, playing chess, or, just like every other university student in existence, studying.
