Writing Prompt: Parents watch in horror as a magacians trick goes horribly wrong at their childs birthday party

THE MAGACIANS TRICK

I remember that spring morning like it was yesterday, it was my son’s tenth birthday.

I arranged the folding chairs one next to another in my backyard. A cardinal in a nearby tree chirped. A multitude of fiery balloons were placed throughout the area, and a maroon colored Happy Birthday banner swayed in the breeze behind me.

From inside the house I heard “I don’t wanna you can’t make me”

My wife’s raised voice responded “You will do as I say young man.”

The kitchen door swung open and my son Sam walked out. His hands were stuffed in his pants pockets. His blond hair flowed past his shoulders he wore a white jacket with a blazing rose on the pocket, his pants and shoes matched the jacket.

He stopped and pleaded with me “Dad, do I hafta do this?”

“Do as your mother says.”

He rolled his eyes and shoved his hands back in his pockets and walked away. I began to hear laughter from within the house.

I said, “Your guests are arriving, go inside and greet them.”

He sighed and reluctantly walked back towards the house. Before he could enter a group of children came towards him at a hurried pace with looks of excitement on their faces.

My wife came from within the house. “The magician is here Barney, get the children seated for the show.”

I walked towards the herd of munchkins but before I could say anything a whistle sounded and all the children looked towards the noise. A man entered the grounds he wore a top hat, and was dressed in black from head to toe he pushed a tall rectangular shaped box.

A loud cheer went out as the children excitedly ran towards the magician.

He looked around and said “Hello Boys and Girls my name is Bernardo the great, now tell me where is the birthday boy?”

The children turned and pointed to our son, his face glowed while he looked at the ground. Bernardo smiled then spent the next twenty minutes performing dreadful tricks you would learn from any cheesy magic book.

Then he came to his finale, he took the large crimson rectangle box and turned it towards the children. There was a curtain in the front he opened it to show that it was empty and tapped on the inside and outside to show that it was intact.

He looked to the children they all had looks of wonder on their faces “You can see children this appears to be an ordinary box but I assure you it is not. Now I would like a volunteer from the audience.”

Several hands went up but he looked to my son.

“Why don’t you come help me?”

With uncertainty my little Sam walked up the steps towards the box and Bernardo motioned for him to enter the box, when he did the magician closed the curtain.
The magician opened up a small metal box that was off to the side and pulled out a sword with a long blade.

My wife said “Please, don’t do it”

I took her arm “Don’t worry he won’t be harmed.”

With the point of the blade he pierced the side of the box. I saw it come out the other end, and from inside I heard a groan. A river of blood began to trickle out from under the curtain. The children began to scream.
He pulled the cord and the curtain opened. I looked on in horror the blade pierced his chest. My wife screamed and fell to the ground as I ran towards him the magician disappeared.

The cardinal screeched and flew from the tree. I looked around and all the children were gone. I stood alone in my backyard, my clothes covered in blood and my son’s lifeless body on the ground next to me.

The court transcripts state my wife came home and informed me she was leaving me for another man and taking our son. They found her body along with her lovers in our bedroom and it was determined that I killed our son in a fit of rage, but I swear a magician’s trick went horribly wrong.

I am serving three life sentences concurrently at the State Penitentiary.

Life goes on

So after I posted the comment below I thought maybe I could give you a little more insight into what has been going on with my life. In January I had laser surgery on my neck as I have had back pain for thirty years and when I turned forty it really got bad. In 2004 I had my neck fused by the C-4 and C-5 and for awhile that helped but two years later it worsened again and I began to get cortisone shots and I did physical therapy. That went fine up until May of 2009 when nothing helped and I went on meds to control the pain, well to say the least I didn't like the way it made me feel so I opted for the laser surgery.

The surgery was a success and I had to rest for two weeks with no work so I went hard into my novel and everything was going really well, (or at least I thought it was) after eight chapters or over one hundred pages I realized what I was writing was not in my outline, so I took a look at the whole thing and saw that really from the start it was wrong. I had spent almost six months rewriting the first chapter always wanting it to sound better and read better but I found myself rewriting way to much so I decided to just let it go and move forward. Now I realize that it is not correct and the way the story reads is all wrong, I have spent hours just staring at the monitor and I have no idea where to go with it. Now understand that I work 8-5 and have a wife so I don't have much time as it is to really write so I try to find the time when I can, but really from the last week of January up to this point I have nothing so I have set it aside and may go back to it at a later time.

I have sat and tried to write other things but right now my mind is a blank. I did receive the Dragon ages PC Game for Christmas and have since loaded that on my computer and I am now devoting my time to the game, but I hope in time to go back to writing I really do want to write something I am just in a bad place right now writing wise and have since put the pen down. I still try to come up with ideas but so far nothing has come to me.

As I said once I can, I will post the last writing prompt I did which I submitted to writer’s digest it wasn't accepted but that is okay at least I submitted it. Also in January I submitted a short piece to the Chicken Soup publishers and I am still waiting to hear if they want that piece. So in the meantime the posts might become fewer or I will just write about what is going on in my life. Hey come to think about it that is writing isn't it?

Writers Block

I have had major writers block for almost two month's now. I can't seem to find anything to write about, I got stuck in my novel where I am not sure where to go with it or if I will even finish it now. The story actually took a turn I wasn't expecting, and I didn't have it in my outline to go this way so I am not sure what to do with it, and when I read it back it doesn't even sound good anymore. I have tried to write some prompts but come up with nothing, and now I am at a point where I am wondering if I will even continue to try and write. I have heard other writers reach this point as well and fight through it but I am just not as confindent right now that I can.

Last month I wrote and sent in a writing prompt for Writers digest that wasn't selected and I will post it here in a couple of days, but after that I am just not sure what or if I will post more stories.