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THE MAGICIAN

I once went to an interesting magic show. The magician who was performing was unlike any other I had ever seen before. He was 97 years old, and he was a camel. When he first walked onto the stage, I thought that it was part of some clever trick, but as the show progressed, I realized that the camel was just that. The magician I had paid money to see was a huge four-legged hump backed animal. There was no trick.

He was surprisingly good, although his card manipulation was a little rough. I could understand and sympathize with him, because, after all, he did have very small hooves. Certainly, too small to even attempt some of the difficult moves he was trying.

His best trick used his beautiful assistant, who claimed to have walked a mile for her boss on many occasions. In this effect, the girl lay down inside a wooden box. The magician then took a plastic hoop between his teeth and passed it over the entire box, showing there was nothing to hold the box suspended ... nothing but magic. This in itself was an amazing stunt, but the magician continued dramatically. I have never seen anything quite like what he did next. Me walked around the rear of the still-levitating box, and bit into its side, sending wood chips flying all across the stage. Slowly, he gnawed right through the entire width of the box leaving two totally separate pieces floating in mid air.

This magic impressed me so much, that it was then and there that I decided that that was what I wanted to be. I knew that if I practiced real hard every single night, I would someday be just as good as he. For years and years I practiced, both in front of small audiences and in front of my own personal mirror, checking angles and perfecting my work.

After five years of constant practicing, my dream came true.

I became a camel.