“Oh no!” Grace called from inside the box. “Please don’t chop us in two!”
The boy’s eyebrows shot up so high, they disappeared under the brim of his hat. To him it must have sounded like Olivia’s tummy was talking.
He gripped the sword’s handle tightly and raised it above his head. Olivia noticed that he was red in the face as he spoke to the audience. “Now I’ve got my sword, we can get to the point of the trick.”
The audience laughed. From somewhere offstage came a rattling drum roll.
Inside the box, Cuddle’s ears twitched and Grace saw the kitten’s green eyes flash. Cuddle pushed her furry body through one of the holes Grace’s feet were sticking out of. Then she perched on the toe of one of her trainers.
The audience exclaimed in delight.
“Look at that kitten,” Olivia heard an old lady say. “How cute!”
The boy shook his head as he tried to work out where Cuddle had come from. The top hat flopped down over both his ears.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “a big hand – I mean a big paw! – for …”
“Her name’s Cuddle,” Olivia whispered.
“A big paw for Cuddle the Conjuring Kitten!” he finished.
The audience clapped and cheered.
“Now,” the boy said, “are you ready to be amazed by the Magic Box of Doom?”
“Yes!” the audience shouted.
Olivia held her breath. She felt Grace’s hand wrap round one of her ankles. He wasn’t really going to cut them in two, was he? It’s just a magic trick, Olivia tried to convince herself.
The boy swung his sword towards the box. As it sliced through the air, Cuddle pounced on the lion’s-paw latch. Click! The latch sprang open and the box fell apart, the walls and lid crashing to the ground. Out tumbled Olivia and Grace. Cuddle jumped clear, landing beside them.
The boy dropped his sword in shock.
Olivia looked up at him. “We’re sorry Cuddle ruined your magic trick,” she said.
“She didn’t ruin it,” the boy replied. “She made it even better!”
He pulled Olivia and Grace to their feet, and turned to the audience. “It turns out I’m an even better magician than I realized. Instead of cutting a girl in half, I’ve doubled her!”
“I think that makes you a mathematician rather than a magician,” Grace said with a grin.
The audience got to their feet, cheering and whistling. The boy raised his arm above his head and swept down in a bow, making his top hat fall off. Grace bowed too, and Olivia dropped into a deep curtsy. Cuddle jumped inside the top hat, just her little whiskered face poking out.
Olivia nudged Grace. “I told you Cuddle was a star!”
