The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed. The auditorium was filled past maximum capacity. People were selling tickets that did not exist and shuttling families in through the windows to see this once in a lifetime show. Mr.Solstice. The grand magician from a far away land. His shows were legendary and he only did one show per city. You never knew where he was going to be next. He never announced, or told anything, just moved to the next town and as soon as he arrived exclaimed that he would be doing a show the next day. He seemly moved around the country in bursts that could not be followed. He would move at impossible speeds from state to state. Sometimes being on the east coast and a day later on the west coast. This helped boost his mystique. If he could move that fast, who knew when he might just disappear completely. There were only a handful of people who had seen him more then once. If you were there you saw him, if you weren’t, you missed him. Sometimes he would show up in big cities, other times in small towns with barely anyone living in them. Small farms would gather around him in a barn filled with hay and cows where he would stoke the imagination and grant a portal into another world for a night. He would perform for everyone and anyone, but only once. He made no special appearances and entertained no requests.
Tonight he was making him self visible in the medium town of Morgantown. It’s theater sat next to river running through the middle of town which was nestled in between green forested hills.
Mr.Solstice appeared in a blinding light onto the stage. The crowd gasped and cheered as he bowed. He was an older gentlemen. Graying black hair pushed back off his face but flowing. His outfit was a black and white. A long coat that reached just above his feet which were adorned in leather black boots that were bound with laces and buckles. His pants seemed tight and he was thin. He had the looks of a gentleman, but the smile of a thief.
He put out his hands and roared into the crowd. They roared back at him.
“Welcome to the end of what you thought was possible. The most magical night that you will ever experience, witness, and comprehend. Tonight I will show you what is possible, what the world has hidden from you in plain sight. Your eyes, your spirit will not be deceived any longer. All that flows through you tonight is real. As real as the flesh on your bones. Sit back and be dazzled. Leave here with something more then you came in with. Imagination that is no longer shackled.”
The whole theater erupted with anticipation. Mr.Solstice stepped towards the front of the stage and rose his arms out in front of him. In a quick jerky motion he flung them back. As he did flames ignited on his palms.
“Wouldn’t you like be able to cook like this” he joked as he moved fluidly across the stage tossing fire up in the air and catching it like they were solid objects. He then clapped his hands together as if he was a martial artists and the flames went out with a burst. The crowd recoiled at the sudden sound, but ushered for more. Mr. Solstice produced more magic. He made water flow from his long jacket. Balls of light appear in the middle of the stage that floated across the crowd whipping around in a symphony of colors and sounds. He floated gently off the ground and above the heads of the wide eyed. Every move that he did had a purpose. Producing another impossible trick, another burst in the imagination of those watching. The crowd could only be absorbed by the spectacle. Wondering, trying to wrap their consciousness around what was happening. Mr.Solstice breathed heavily. He was sweating, but his face was lit in a smile of pure joy. His eyes though wandered among the crowd and a small twitch of sadness revealed itself.
“Well then. I hope you have all enjoyed yourselves tonight. This is the end of the show. It seems that somethings of the past has caught up with me. To all of you “ he rose his hand above his head, as he did so did the crowd. “I bid you a fantastic and magical filled destiny. Let all that comes to you be magnificent. Till next time!” He then clapped his hands and the crowd did the same. The theater was filled with two deafening crisp claps and the lights went out. There was complete silence and then the lights returned. Mr.Solstice was gone.
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I am reading Win the Crowd by Steve Cohen which is about being able to read and influence crowds and other people. He is a magician by trade so it got me thinking about the magicians of real life.Mr.Solstice is a bit more then that. His shows are always cut short by a pursuing danger. I like the era of old America as well. A time of wild imagination and information took time to travel around. There would be more time to think and less to drown out your own crazy thoughts about the world. Also a lot more nature between towns.