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The Magician: a play.

 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
20:12 / 29.09.02
[Another collaborative play. You make up the next bit.]

ACT ONE

Scene one: A small stage, with red velvet curtains. A figure stands centre stage, lit by a very bright spotlight. The Magician (for it is she) is wearing a hackneyed top hat, tails, and fishnet tights combo, along with glitzy red slingbacks. The effect is somewhat let down by the fact that every portion of exposed skin is covered with a thick layer of what appears to be clay or plaster. The magician is observed by an audience consisting of a semicircle of identical silver robots, all seated on black plastic lawn chairs.

(Note: the real audience, that is, the people observing the play, would be sat behind the robots and would only see their backs.)

MAGICIAN: (Looks around, confused, as if she's not quite sure what's required of her.)

A ROBOT: Make the birds.

ANOTHER ROBOT: Oh, yes. You must make the birds.

ROBOT AUDIENCE: Make the birds. Please make the birds.
 
 
deja_vroom
15:31 / 30.09.02
MAGICIAN (looks confused, hesitant): I... I don't know... how do I do that?

The robots remain silent. The audience can hear their inner workings clicking and humming. It gets louder then. And then a bit louder.

The magician takes her hat off and peeks inside, hopeful. She looks surprised at what she finds inside the hat. She takes it out and shows it to the Robot Audience. It's a dead bird, it's head bobbing as she lifts it by the legs.

We hear sounds of tape being rewinded, as in a cassette player. Actually, lots of cassette players. There's one inside each robot. Then we hear a "CLUNK", and then we hear applause. Then the "Zwheeeep" sound of rewinding. CLUNK. Applause. Zhwweeeeep. CLUNK. Applause.

ROBOT IN THE AUDIENCE: I'm 84.5678% sure I will start crying.
 
 
gridley
17:10 / 30.09.02
Robot #15 (stands to examine the dead bird on the stage): The last magician made the birds that fly. Can this bird fly?

Magician: I... I don't think so. This one's dead.

Robot #73 (stands to ask question): Is life required for flight?

Magician: In birds, it is. Beyond that, I can't really say.
 
  
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