Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

"Are you sure it's all right?" I asked, desperate

for more and more assurance.

"Don't worry." he added. "She trusts me." Yes.

I thought, she does.

But should 1?

4 Magic Show

. Mrs. Westington was asleep in her easy chair when we left the house to a to Uncle Palaver's motor home. Trevor Washington was on the roof of the winery plant doing some repairs. I didn't think he saw us because he was concentrating hard on his work. Echo looked nervous as we approached the vehicle. but Tyler continually reassured her, telling her we were going to have fun.

When we entered the motor home. Echo stood off to the rear and stared at Destiny, now seated in Uncle Palaver's chair facing the sofa. Turning it over. I lifted the blouse in the back to show her the battery compartment. She drew closer gingerly and watched as I inserted the new ones. She was even more curious now and sat on the sofa to wait for me to complete the installation and preparations.

Tyler sat beside her. "We're ready for our magic show," he said.

I wasn't sure what I should do first. Without Uncle Palaver, it felt strange to do anything involving Destiny. It was almost as if I believed she wouldn't perform for me the way she had performed for him. but I thought of the easiest trick I knew using her. I straightened her up on the seat, or at least, that was what it looked like I was doing.

"Do you have a quarter on you?" I asked Tyler. He dug into his pocket and produced one.

"Okay," I said. "My uncle would ask Destiny for a quarter and she would shake her head. no. He would then ask someone in the audience and..."

"Don't tell us about it. Do it just as your uncle did it," Tyler said.

Echo's eyes were wide, looking from him to me to the Destiny doll.

"Okay. Destiny, would you have a quarter I can borrow?"

Tyler signed what I said so Echo would understand. Using the transmitter in my pocket. I triggered her head to shake a no and as rusty as I was, threw my voice through her to say it as well.

Echo jumped in her seat when Destiny opened her mouth. Tyler took her hand and assured her it was just a trick. She sat back, but she didn't relax. Her eyes were glued to Destiny.

"That's pretty good." Tyler said. "You made her voice so different. even I was thrown for a moment."

"Uncle Palaver was so good at that, sometimes he drank a glass of water while throwing his voice. Don't ask me how."

I took his quarter and then placed it in my palm and showed it to Echo. This part of the trick was easy for me. I had practiced it and practiced it so many times while Uncle Palaver and I rode for hours from one destination to another. I told Echo to put out her hand and open it. Then I put the quarter into her palm and closed her fingers around it.

"Don't open your hand." I said. I signed "'don't open" to be sure she understood, otherwise the trick would be ruined.

Then I turned to Destiny. "Are you sure you have no quarter for me?" I asked her, with Tyler signing to

Echo. Destiny shook her head again and I triggered her right arm to come up slowly and then opened her hand. Echo held on to Tyler, but he was just as mesmerized as she was by Destiny's lifelike movements. They both leaned to see that there was a quarter in her hand. The next part was simple. I opened Echo's hand and there was no quarter in hers.

"Holy smokes, how did you do that?" Tyler asked, very much impressed.

"A real magician never tells," I said.

The truth was when I had straightened up Destiny in the chair. I had placed the quarter in her hand and closed it. When I had put it in Echo's hand. I had plucked it out as I closed her fingers. I had that quarter hidden in my own hand.

"Uncle Palaver would have a finny dialogue with her now, accusing her of hoarding money. She'd deny it and then he would reach under her chin and lo and behold," I said, opening my hand to reveal the other quarter. "he'd find another,'

Echo laughed and clapped her hands in delight.

Tyler nodded, looking very impressed. "You're fast," he said. "I'm not going to play cards with you. That's for sure." He looked sincerely impressed with me, which encouraged me to continue.

"This is a magic quarter," I announced, holding up one of the quarters. Tyler told Echo.