Read Online The Manual of Darkness by Enrique de Hériz - Free Book Online
Authors: Enrique de Hériz
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over and over until he has managed to elicit some information and make sense of it: the green door, the red card, the full moon in his eye, the visit to the ophthalmologist.
At first Galván tries to play it down. The doctor is probably right, Víctor’s just suffering from stress. It’s probably because he’s exhausted. Then he tries nagging him, trying to get Víctor to react. Since when did whining ever solve anything? Galván tells him that if he’s so worried, instead of sitting here snivelling, he should do something. Reminds him that he’s not short of money, he could see any number of specialists he wants. He should see the neurologist. Or go to casualty. Galván offers to go with him right now, but he cannot even get Víctor off the sofa.
Then, just as in the old days, comes the lecture. Galván tells Víctor he has no right to go to pieces like this without a fight, reminds him he is the finest magician in the world, not because of some jury’s decision at a festival, but because they have both been working towards that goal for years, ever since Víctor was a wide-eyed brat. He has a moral obligation to himself, Galván warns, and to Galván who has led him by the hand all the way and has no intention of letting go now. He lingers over the memories of the tough times, the faith and the tenacity that brought them through. He tries to imply that even if his worst fears are realised, even if he loses the sight in both eyes, Víctor will still be the best magician in the world because the true miracles take place in the mind; performing them is simply mechanics, muscular memory. He does not need to be able to see to be who he is. Until Víctorcuts him off. For the first time, he looks Galván in the eye and says calmly:
‘Do you understand, Mario?’
‘I understand. You’ve been thrown a curveball.’
‘I’m not talking about that. This is the first time you’ve been wrong. In all these years, you’ve always known what was best for me better than I knew myself. You only had to say the word and I knew which way to go. Not only in magic.’
‘OK, OK,’ Galván modestly tries to interrupt.
‘Let me finish.’ Víctor cuts him short. He is serious, curt, determined, as though he has spent years honing the words he is about to say. ‘I hope you know how grateful I am to you, though I never found a way of telling you that when we first met, I was just a kid who wanted to learn how to do magic. I didn’t even know why. A lot of good things have happened to me since and I know better than anyone what it took to make them happen. But I also know that none of it would have been possible if you hadn’t always been there, showing me the way. You’ve been good to me. That stuff about your fifteen per cent was below the belt. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s forgotten.’
‘But this time, you’re wrong. You want things to carry on as they were before, but that’s not possible. I have to stop, Mario. I don’t know how this thing is going to pan out, I don’t even know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but right now I don’t give a fuck about magic.’
Galván flinched.
‘Don’t say that, Víctor. You owe a lot to magic. You’re a magician. I don’t just mean that it’s your vocation, how you earn your living, that, like me, you probably couldn’t do anything else. It’s something more. This might sound simplistic, but a man is what he does. And you do magic.’
‘But right now I can’t perform the one trick I want. To get my eyesight back. There’s nothing in my hands, nothing up my sleeve. What do you think? Anyway, you should be happy seeing me like this.’
‘I don’t know why.’
‘Many years ago you predicted I’d be a little wretch. Maybe you don’t remember. We never talked about it. You didn’t even knowI’d overheard you. A little wretch and one hell of a magician. Bingo, Mario. It’s all come true, but in the wrong order.’
‘Of course I remember. And I’m sorry you
At first Galván tries to play it down. The doctor is probably right, Víctor’s just suffering from stress. It’s probably because he’s exhausted. Then he tries nagging him, trying to get Víctor to react. Since when did whining ever solve anything? Galván tells him that if he’s so worried, instead of sitting here snivelling, he should do something. Reminds him that he’s not short of money, he could see any number of specialists he wants. He should see the neurologist. Or go to casualty. Galván offers to go with him right now, but he cannot even get Víctor off the sofa.
Then, just as in the old days, comes the lecture. Galván tells Víctor he has no right to go to pieces like this without a fight, reminds him he is the finest magician in the world, not because of some jury’s decision at a festival, but because they have both been working towards that goal for years, ever since Víctor was a wide-eyed brat. He has a moral obligation to himself, Galván warns, and to Galván who has led him by the hand all the way and has no intention of letting go now. He lingers over the memories of the tough times, the faith and the tenacity that brought them through. He tries to imply that even if his worst fears are realised, even if he loses the sight in both eyes, Víctor will still be the best magician in the world because the true miracles take place in the mind; performing them is simply mechanics, muscular memory. He does not need to be able to see to be who he is. Until Víctorcuts him off. For the first time, he looks Galván in the eye and says calmly:
‘Do you understand, Mario?’
‘I understand. You’ve been thrown a curveball.’
‘I’m not talking about that. This is the first time you’ve been wrong. In all these years, you’ve always known what was best for me better than I knew myself. You only had to say the word and I knew which way to go. Not only in magic.’
‘OK, OK,’ Galván modestly tries to interrupt.
‘Let me finish.’ Víctor cuts him short. He is serious, curt, determined, as though he has spent years honing the words he is about to say. ‘I hope you know how grateful I am to you, though I never found a way of telling you that when we first met, I was just a kid who wanted to learn how to do magic. I didn’t even know why. A lot of good things have happened to me since and I know better than anyone what it took to make them happen. But I also know that none of it would have been possible if you hadn’t always been there, showing me the way. You’ve been good to me. That stuff about your fifteen per cent was below the belt. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s forgotten.’
‘But this time, you’re wrong. You want things to carry on as they were before, but that’s not possible. I have to stop, Mario. I don’t know how this thing is going to pan out, I don’t even know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but right now I don’t give a fuck about magic.’
Galván flinched.
‘Don’t say that, Víctor. You owe a lot to magic. You’re a magician. I don’t just mean that it’s your vocation, how you earn your living, that, like me, you probably couldn’t do anything else. It’s something more. This might sound simplistic, but a man is what he does. And you do magic.’
‘But right now I can’t perform the one trick I want. To get my eyesight back. There’s nothing in my hands, nothing up my sleeve. What do you think? Anyway, you should be happy seeing me like this.’
‘I don’t know why.’
‘Many years ago you predicted I’d be a little wretch. Maybe you don’t remember. We never talked about it. You didn’t even knowI’d overheard you. A little wretch and one hell of a magician. Bingo, Mario. It’s all come true, but in the wrong order.’
‘Of course I remember. And I’m sorry you
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