Part 1.

“Do you want to see some magic?” A voice asked her, from behind.

Rinita was late already. It was half past ten in the night and yet she was on the road, almost a mile away from her home. The institution from which she was returning made them leave late tonight. Moreover, she chatted with her boyfriend for some time before ultimately leaving the place. She had already called her home to tell that she’d be reaching late tonight. But still, ten-thirty in the night at this part in Kolkata in this time of the year is not safe at all. Winter is on the cards, so the possibilities of people roaming around late were next to nil. What was worse, there was a sociopath killer on the move.

“Do you want to see some magic?” The voice asked again.

Rinita looked back.

Before her, stood a medium heighted fellow. He was slightly bent, and even if she couldn’t see his face, it looked like as if age has started marking its presence on his spinal cords first. His hands were stretched forward, and together they made a sign of an appeal, as if he were to start his tricks from the very word ‘go’. He wore a dark long coat, unusually long for a regular city-walker to wear. A pure leather - for sure, for whatever lights there were on the footpath, were reflected and left a glistening effects to the surroundings. His face was covered, not from some masks, or any clothing, but the top hat he wore, hid his face completely beneath that, making him look like a faceless monster.

She, though being a bold city girl, suddenly tasted fear out of nowhere. She looked around, and realised the road was unusually lonely that night.

“Who are you?” She shouted.

“I show people tricks – magic tricks. Tricks that they enjoy. In return they give me money. Only if they get entertained, that is.” The man smiled from beneath his dark hat.

A high class beggar, perhaps? Rinita thought.

The dark face smiled again. Another silent smile.

“…but certainly not a beggar.” He clarified.

It was her turn to be amazed now. He read her mind. How could he? It was really something extraordinary. Rinita got interested.

“Well,” the man continued, “Then you will be more fascinated to see this” as he drew a piece of brown cloth from his pocket and whirled it round her head.

Rinita blinked. And then when she looked at his hands again, the piece of cloth was gone. But instead, she saw a brown hawk sitting in his left shoulder. A living, brown hawk. Its head was still, bent at an angle that gave her a feel that it has been watching her since ages with its eyes fixed on hers.

“Every magician has a pet. He’s mine.” The voice said.

Rinita gave a sigh of relief.

And then after five more minutes of tricks and entertainment, the man paused.

“So… are you ready for my last magic? The magic of all magics, the queen of the best magics in the world – are you ready for it? “

Rinita smiled. The man certainly knew how to build up a stage to perform something. But the only problem was that, she was very late.

“I am sorry, I’ll have to go. I am very late tonight. And besides, my family will be worried.”

The man fell silent. He drew his hands closer, as if he didn’t expect it to happen. And then he said, “This is the magic where I create fire. Don’t you want to watch it?”

She looked at him. This silence, it was going to kill her anyway.

“Never mind.” The man laughed out. “You have your urgency. So until we meet again, good bye.” He took his hat off and brought it down to present a full bow.

Rinita looked at his eyes now, as he stood on his feet straight. They were brownish, and had a yellow flame in them. She had always heard about the eyes those magicians have… attractive, gorgeous, deep and appealing. There was something in his eyes that asked something to her. And she realised she could neither move or take her away from that place to anywhere, as if her body was stoned to death at the same place for ages.

The hawk flew away, with a sudden cry, as the darkest paths of the city remained silent, with the half-moon hovering in the December sky amongst the thin fog spread across the city. The high rise buildings in the distant places remained the proof of a man walking under a dark top hat, throwing a piece of white paper which resembled something like a visiting card to the body which lied still in the footpath…hands spread, head bent and eyes that were not going to see anything of this mortal world anymore. And a thin bloodline ended in the nearby drain which seemed to start somewhere near the neck. She was dead.

With silence, the piece of paper fell somewhere very near the body. And then two words appeared in red out of nowhere in it. It was the last trick of him for that night.

‘The Magician’