The End of Tomorrow

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Today I present to you the one and only : The Great Bateman!” The crowd started roaring to my entrance. I had started the art of magic when I was around seven. My father was a lawyer and my mom had left me at an early age. I started magic thinking that one day I could find some kind of a spell to bring my mother back. The industry of magic is pretty competitive so you had to do anything to be a big shot. I did some unforgivable stuff. I am not proud of it but I am not ashamed either. “I need two volunteers for the final trick.” The audience knew this was the reason they came here. The “invisible man” trick. Was it a trick, was it actually magic?

My men brought in two doors and a cake. “Now gentleman would you kindly lights the candles?” I could feel the sweat going down my face. I had done this trick a hundred times yet I feared it every time. “Now I am going to have you hold this cake for me.” “Listen carefully gentleman on the count of three I am going to have you throw this to the black door.” I looked at the audience while entering the other door: the brown one. “1, 2, 3!”  The black door opened. I picked the cake up and started blowing air to the candles. I got a standing ovation. This time something was different. Whatever happened happened at that very moment, when I was blowing out the candles. He was there right in front of me, clapping slowly but surely: Marcus. I froze with my mouth wide open. The room went dead silent. “That’s it for today, stay with magic!” I instantly left the stage, rushing down to the exit. I knew that he would always be one step ahead of me. I got out to the street. I felt like I was a mouse trapped in a box. I don’t know what to do. How was he not dead? I stopped, took a deep breath. 

I decided I couldn’t run forever. It was time I faced him. The bench I sat on looked like it couldn’t hold anyone anymore. I felt like me and the bench shared the same feelings. Either I was going to tell him the big trick or he wasn’t going to let me live in peace. “Bateman, look me in the eye.” He was behind me. He spoke as if he was reading a book. “I am not going to tell you how to do the trick and you know it.” “You think that’s the reason why I am here. I always knew you weren’t smart but I didn’t know you were this stupid. I came because I wanted to apologise.” Either this was another one of his games or something had changed. “For what?” “Your wife is gone.” I felt a pain in my throat. “I am taking your daughter away. I know it isn’t your fault my wife died. But she could have lived if it weren’t for you and your ambition to become big shot.” I closed my eyes. I knew what was coming: an endless void.

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