Read Online Sebastian by Alan Field - Free Book Online

trick goes right.”
    He went through his routine and I discovered all sorts of places to hide, false bottoms in boxes and big pockets in his coat. Every now and then he would dash down to the seats to turn the cardboard faces back to front - one side they were laughing and on the other side looking astonished with their mouths open. “I usually have my laughter machine,” he said, “but nobody’s here to turn the handle.”
    We finished rehearsing and went off to get ready for the act. He put a little red cap with a tassle on my head.
    â€œIt used to belong to a monkey,” he explained, “but it fits you nicely.”
    Down below I could hear the orchestra tuning up and the noise of everybody coming in. It reminded me of the circus and I wondered what Sandro was doing. The Great Zingo sat in front of his mirror, all surrounded by little lights like a fair, and trimmed his moustache and rubbed red powder on his cheeks to make them glow.
    We were the last to go on. “Top of the bill, you see,” he explained. It didn’t seem to make sense to me: I would have thought we were bottom.
    On the stage it was brilliant with lights and I could only just see the first few rows of seats and the rest faded into blackness.
    We did all the usual tricks, and then one called ‘passing the bear through a brick wall’. It was really made of wood with the bricks painted on but very hard all the same. The Great Zingo knocked it all over with his stick to show everyone it was solid. Then with a quick twist of his wrist threw me straight at it. ‘Squashed bear’, I thought, but a second later I was through the other side, and everybody was clapping. I never found out how it worked.
    Then we did ‘find the bear’ with three big cardboard tubes set up on a table. A man from the audience was invited to play the game. I sat on the table and the illusionist put one of the tubes over me, and then shuffled the tubes around at great speed. The man had to guess where I was, but he never managed it. This was because I was in a secret compartment at the top of the tube, of course.
    The vanishing cabinet was fun. Once you stood in it a little spring swivelled you round quick as a flash and there you were in the back of the cabinet, where it was dark and musty-smelling. Everybody clapped after each trick and the Great Zingo bowed low in his black cape.
    Our last act was ‘sawing the bear in half’. There were cries of Oooh! from the crowd when the magician produced a fearsome-looking saw, all silver with rows of sharp teeth. I could feel my squeaker rattling as he held me up high in the spotlight.
    â€œThis brave bear ...” he started to say, when suddenly there was a piercing voice from out of the darkness.
    â€œMy babee, my little bear! Stop! Murder!”
    The Great Zingo stood with his mouth open like one of his cardboard faces. It was Géraldine! There was a sound of running feet and she appeared at the foot of the stage, waving my telescope.
    â€œGive him back. Thief, coward!” she shouted. “Give back my little babee.”
    The Great Zingo recovered from his astonishment, and as Géraldine started to climb on to the stage, he popped me into his sawing-in-half box, picked it up and dashed off into the wings with Géraldine chasing him. All round the back of the stage we went, and out again; down into the orchestra pit, and up the gangway. The audience was cheering Géraldine on and I could hear the Great Zingo puffing and panting. Round the theatre we went and back down towards the stage. Just as we got near it, the false bottom came out of the box and me with it. I went rolling over and over and then it went dark. I had ended up right under the steps. In the distance I could hear Géraldine shouting at the Great Zingo and stamping her foot.
    â€œAn illusion, dear young lady,” he was saying. “There is no bear at all. See for