Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Mesmer's Mirror

[Way back when I had my website, I occasionally ran "contests" for readers to pick illustrations and/or captions that I would then turn into short stories. This is the result of one of those contests.]

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, for the final illusion!" Jensen the Magnificent gestured to the wings and a tall, bronze-framed mirror was wheeled into center stage.

"Behold, Mesmer's Mirror!" he exclaimed. "This ancient glass produces a deep and remarkable trance when used by those who know its secrets," he continued, as he took his beautiful assistant by the hand and led her before the shining surface. She posed prettily in her showgirl's outfit as he made some passes with his hands around her.

The audience gasped as the mirror seemed to glow in response to his movements. He leaned forward and whispered something to the girl, and the crowd watched in awe as her eyes slowly closed and her body seemed to stiffen.

After a few moments, Jensen had the mirror moved to the side and he turned his entranced assistant to face the audience fully. Her lovely face was tranquil and serene above a body that seemed as rigid as an iron bar. He gestured to stage right, and a padded sawhorse about 40 inches high was wheeled in. He pushed lightly on the girl's forehead, and she tipped backward, until the back of her head touched the top of the horse. A motion to stage left, and an identical horse appeared from that side of the stage. Jensen lifted the girl's feet and rested them atop it. She was now balanced precariously, ramrod straight, between the two.

Gracefully, Jensen demonstrated that there were no hidden supports beneath the girl's body, and no wires holding her from above. Then, he dramatically kicked over the horse on the left, and the audience gasped, then applauded, as her feet remained suspended above the stage. Then he turned toward her head and, more gently, removed the horse supporting it. More applause--as her head, too, remained floating above the stage.

Following another demonstration of her apparent anti-gravity state, he gently lowered her until her feet again touched the ground. He snapped his fingers and the girl awoke from her trance. They bowed together and the curtain closed.

Moments later, in the dressing room, Jensen looked the girl, Astrid, in the eyes and said, "Mirror mirror on the wall..." She dropped back into trance.... ....And thirty minutes later, she awakened. Her clothes were disheveled, her body sore, her boss long gone. "Damn it! He did it again, after promising he wouldn't!" she cried. "Well, I told him what would happen." She picked up her purse and pulled out the directory of stage illusionists. "Carol--yeah, it's Astrid. That favor I asked you for? Can you be here before rehearsal tomorrow morning?"

The next morning, Jensen the Magnificent strode confidently into his dressing room, and was confronted not only by the lovely Astrid, but by Carol the Conjuror, one of his most illustrious competitors.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Just helping out one of your victims," she replied, as she stepped aside, revealing Mesmer's Mirror behind her, its hidden trance-inducing lights already in motion. Startled, Jensen didn't have time to close his eyes--he was caught.

The girls quickly stripped the illusionist of his male clothes and pulled out the sexiest of Astrid's and Carol's lingerie--black lacy panties, bra (well-padded for this case), garter belt, sheer silk stockings. Atop it all they dressed him in the French maid's outfit Carol had borrowed from the burlesque comedy team also playing the theater, and a pair of black patent-leather pumps with six-inch heels.

Then they pulled the make-up table in front of the "magic mirror". Jensen stared unseeing into it, as they feminized his face with dramatic mascara, eyeliner, and shadow, deep blush and dark red lipstick. The final touch was a blonde pageboy wig.

Now Astrid leaned in close as she dusted his face with powder. "When I count to five, you will awaken, and your foul, male self will be gone. You will be Jenni, my horny little she-male maid," she told him. "One, two, three, four, five...."

Jenni blinked several times, then came to consciousness. She turned to her once-assistant. "How may I assist you, Mistress?" she asked.

"Help me into this new stage costume," Astrid demanded, indicating a skin-tight black latex catsuit. "Then teach me everything Jensen the Magnificent knows about magic, hypnosis and illusions. I'm taking over the act--and you're my new assistant!"

The End

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