The setting is this: a carnival near the beach. It's a seaside town, and a number of young local men are wandering the grounds. In one tent, a number of them are attracted to a magic show, promising 'an exotic new treat' Far from the distant lands across the Asian steppes have come Madame Illusia and her son, Stephan. As evening approaches, the act begins.
A number of men, ranging in ages from young boys no higher than their father's knees to a 40 year old man with the beginnings of gray at his temples, to a couple older chaps, wiry and gray or gray-white haired, crowd around the stage. Madame Illusia comes out. Her son, Stephan, a 19 yr old looking chap, introduces her.
'Far away from her native lands was she flung...my mother, mistress of magic and curses. It was her plight from the atrocities that surrounded her that she ran from. But I assure you...she is no one to be trifled with... As you have come here tonight I no doubt you expect to see some proof of her power...one that is deeply entrenched in her blood. For she has powers of the immortals...a rare strain caught and passed down from the very fires of antiquity until it is only *she* and myself that remain of that lineage...'
A few of the local townsboys laughed. It was an ordinary town, entrenched in farm tradition.
But there was a variety of men there...nearly all of them of the homosexual persuasion, though. For you see, part of Madame Illusia's charm was the ability to attract certain kinds of people, depending upon her choice. This was a night she had set aside for one of her more amusing rituals.
Stephan approached the audience, stepping down into the row separating both sides of the room. Some men stood, some sat on chairs or sacks of sand... Some were genuinely spooked by this kind of act; others were skeptics. But one thing they all had in common: they were all about to witness real magic.
'In the course of events my mother decided long ago to never reveal on a large scale her capabilities. She prefers the private, traditional setting of the traveler, and the unique privelege of witnessing her abilities is therefore all the more rare, and wondrous... I ask you now to watch, as she demonstrates a sample of what is...true magic.'
With that, the olive skinned typical looking fortune-teller, dressed in red, with large earrings, and robe, brought out onto the stage a chicken in a small cage. Her penetrating eyes leered over her audience. She waved her hands over the chicken, reciting in her language ancient spells, barely murmuring them.
The chicken clucked, and then, in a sudden flurry of feathers, began to squawk loudly. The chicken became frenzied, batting its chicken wings and frame against the metal cage; rattling it severely. This continued for several minutes. It was strange but something odd began to occur. The cage began to expand... Surely this was an optical illusion. But within the seconds that the audience remained hushed, the chicken revealed itself to be calming down. It was quickly understood that the cage was not expanding, but the chicken that was getting smaller. With a few more, quickly darting movements, the chicken shed layer after layer, until a small, yellow chick cheeped inside.
The audience, now truly stunned, or convinced the woman was a superior magician, began to applaud.
Stephan demonstrated the chick across the room, showing it to all as a layer of feathers remained in the cage back on the stage. The stoic fortune teller woman remained still.
"And now..." began Stephan, once more. "We will need to inform you of our situation.... You see the Madame Illusia has many relatives back home she wishes to support, to ensure their safety. They may not possess her magical quality, but their quality to her surpasses all...donations for this cause will be most welcome, and collected at the end of the show..."
Several unruly men balked at the back and made rude gestures. Stephan knew this was a wonderful opportunity. "You in the back," he motioned. One of the older looking of the studs looked up. "Perhaps you would like to take part in some audience participation? The Madame Illusia always welcomes the opportunity to prove herself genuine to disbelievers... Which one will it be, ah?"