With the animals led off stage, I spoke up. "Now, who else would like an upgrade to their costumes?" Several hands went up but one caught my eyes. Cynthia, who was a star of our schools theater department. She was also grabbed the hands of the guys next to her bringing them up. It was obvious that their costumes were meant to go together.
They were dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz. Cynthia was dressed as the scarecrow, with a tattered button-up green shirt, black tights, and a large brimmed hat. She had straw sticking out of her collar and sleeves, and her nose was painted. Her blonde hair matched the straw well. The friends with her were also in theater.
On her left was Kyle who wore a shiny silver suit and face paint, which I figured was supposed to be the tin man. Finally there was Alan, who looked ridiculous with a bad wig with twin braids and a blue dress that came to mid thigh. Being very tall and built like a line backer, he was the least lively to play Dorothy.
"Cynthia, Kyle, and Alan. Let's get a better look at your outfits!"
Cynthia skipped up to the stage singing "we're off to meet the wizard!" Kyle and Alan followed somewhat reluctantly. Once the were on stage, Cynthia started talking. "Thanks for picking us Joey!"
"Of course, but you seem to be missing a member. Where's your cowardly lion?" I asked.
"Mary is in the restroom. Her outfit doesn't make that a quick trip." Cynthia explained.
"I guess we will have to continue without her."
"I think you have enough animals with the mascots anyways." Kyle commented.
"We'll see." I commented, looking into the audience and winking at a girl dressed as a playboy bunny. "So, we have 3 tricks to perform, who goes first."
Wordlessly both Kyle and Cynthia pointed at Alan. It took him a moment to realize that he had just been volunteered. "Dammit. Okay, how do we do this?"
With perfect timing, Monique brought out a cabinet with two wheels on either side. "Step in." I ordered. Alan complied, and I grabbed the cover at the top and pulled it down. It was decorated as a measure tape. When I pulled it down, it showed his height, 6'2.
"Now Alan, as Dorothy, do you mind giving us her big line at the end?"
"There is no place like home." Alan said in his deep voice.
I gave one wheel a turn, and the top of the box lowered quickly. The curtain rolled back up showing a new height at 5'8. "Again please."
Cynthia's eyes widened as a somewhat higher pitch voice called out "There's no place like home." This time it sounded more like a young boy than the freshly 18 year old who had entered the box.
I gave the bottom wheel a turn, bringing the bottom of the box up, allowing the audience to see underneath it. The suspension beams were still there to support it. Again the box now showed the new height at 5'2. "Remember, she says it one more time."
Alan's voice called out from the box again, this time sounding very much like a girl. "There's no place like home!" The cry came out more enthusiastically.
I turned the top wheel again bringing the boxes height to 4'8. Once there, I grabbed the bottom of the curtain and unlatched it. Letting it roll up, a girl appearing about 12 years old was revealed inside the box. Her wig was now real brown hair, and her dress now reached below her knees. I offered my hand, and she took it as she hopped out of the box.
She looked around the stage in awe at how much bigger we now were of her. "Now, you really look the part of Dorothy, though I think you're a little young for this party. I'm afraid your parents will have to come and pick you up Alice."
"That's not funny." She retorted.
"Not really a joke, but you can help with the next two tricks."
I went to Kyle. "Ready for your turn."
Kyle joined me center stage.
"So, we know how Dorothy finds the tin man. You think you can take that pose?"
Kyle lifted his toy ax above his head. "Like this?"
"Very good." I said as I patted his shoulder. "Now hold that for a moment. I produced a small oil can and acted as if I was oiling the joints of his shoulders, followed by the elbows. I then went to his knees. Afterwards I went and started oiling his jaws. His shiny silver make up became more stiff and his flesh changed.
"How do you feel now?" I ask as patted his chest, which gave a hollow echo. Acting confused, I rapped the chest a bit harder giving a louder hollow echo. I then started pressing the buttons on his suit, and opened the chest up. "Wow. Tin man really has no heart."
I turned to the audience. "Now I know what some of you are thinking. Magicians use mirrors to make boxes look empty. Kyle could easily just be standing very still." I turned to my previous assistant. "Mind helping me Alice."
She walked over. "What are you going to do?"
"Don't worry, no more changes for you. Just take a seat in this piece of modern art." Alice hopped up and sat in the hollow chest cavity of Kyle. She scooted to the back and let her legs dangle below her. She leaned back and waved to the audience.
"Now, we are going to move Kyle to the side, bit this will give Alice the best seat in the house for the next trick." A couple of Brad's butlers came by and picked up and moved him off to the side. Alice grabbed the edges of the openings to steady herself. Kyle was angled so Alice could see the whole show.
I took center stage with Cynthia. "Well, volunteering was your idea, but you are the only one unchanged. You still want to be apart of the show or do you want to return to your seat?"
"Well it wouldn't be fair if I got my boys into this and didn't see it through myself." She spoke with a huge smile. One thing that everyone knew, Cynthia loved being in stage. It didn't matter what show they were doing, as long as she was entertaining people.
"Well I don't know if you can call a little girl and a statue your boys, but let's do your trick." A pulled a burlap sack with a smiley face stitched in. "Do you mind putting this on?"
"Of course!" She took her hat off and pulled on the new mask. I helped her place the hat back on her head. "I suppose you want me to take the pose Scarecrow had when Dorothy met him too." Cynthia called in a muffled voice. She held out her arms, and dangled her hands like she was being propped up by her elbows.
Walking behind her, I placed my hands on either side of her head. "Now, we know the tin man had no heart, as demonstrated by our Dorothy sitting inside his empty chest." While she wasn't angled to be easily scene by the audience, Alice stuck a hand out to wave. "We know the lion had no courage, which is demonstrated by the fact the lion didn't show up." There were a few chuckles. "Now the scarecrow didn't have a brain. If her heads really that empty then I should be able to do this."
I squeezed my hands on either side, and the burlap sack compressed flat. Cynthia's body went limp and slumped forward. I wrapped my hand around the scarecrows waist and it folded in half in my arms. The head remained compressed.
"Looks like I need to put some straw back in." I shook the scarecrow some, allowing the straw to fall back into the head, giving it back some of its shape.
I stood the scarecrow back up and let it lean against me. I grabbed one of the arms and lifted it up. "Now the one thing the movies never address is the scarecrows lack of bones. He could have been a lot more flexible." I pulled the arm back and followed it so it should have been bent backwards against the elbows joint. I let the arm drop.
"They also left out how light he would be made up only of straw." I lifted the scarecrow above my head. "We could also change shape by adding more straw."
Bringing the scarecrow down, I sat it on the stage with its legs splayed out to the sides. I undid the buttons. A lot of the boys leaned forward excitedly only to be disappointed with the sight of a bundle of straw instead of a human body. I was momentarily distracted by the giggling coming from Alice.
I started digging in the straw showing that there really was no human body inside. Finally I found what I was looking for. I pulled out Cynthia's bra. That got the boy's attention back. Bringing the bra to the front, I started rearranging the straw and shaping it into the bra. When I finished and button the shirt back up, the scarecrow had noticeably bigger breasts.
"Mrs. Brockman, would you and your maids please find a place to display our latest volunteers?"
Mrs. Brockman began directing the maids. Soon the scarecrow hung by its elbows from a tree near the presents. They were careful not to deform the breasts I had crafted. The tin man was carried by the butlers to the opposite side of the audience near the pool. Alice still sat inside.
"Now, don't forget to vote for the mascots. While voting, who will like to help me set up the next trick?