HOOPS
i call this an anti-fairy tale and you'll soon see why. this is the tale of
HOOPS
HOOPS
In the land of Shuguriah lived a boy named HOOPS, an avid fan of magic and an eager & willing student of the art. Few in the town of Medlemar are able to teach the Medlemarian HOOPS the basics, but he wanted to know more.
One day, HOOPS learned of the scheduled appearance of the most famous of Shuguriahan magic practitioners in the local middle school: Mr. Merlin, a man who looks like a hermit with his long white hair and his long white beard, wearing a purple robe and carrying a wooden staff with a red jewel embedded atop it. His shows have been described by some critics as "mere firework displays" or "smoke & mirrors"...but HOOPS knew better. He believed in magic. He knew the difference between optical illusion and real magic and Mr. Merlin definitely had the latter. He'd seen Mr. Merlin thrice before, after all, but never this close to home.
HOOPS vowed to himself that he'd get Mr. Merlin to teach him one spell before he left town, and getting to him backstage at this event was his only chance, or so HOOPS thought.
Weeks passed and the day of Mr. Merlin's show had finally arrived. You can imagine how excited HOOPS was on that day. He was a clever boy, that HOOPS. He managed to rig the back door to the school's auditorium to open the moment the show was over. As a fan would, he's studied Mr. Merlin's act and knew exactly when it'd be over. He would have to miss the final demonstration to do this, a task HOOPS was reluctant to do as that was his favorite part. A lesson from Mr. Merlin would more than make up for it, he reasoned.
The show began. The audience of adults & children alike were in awe of his performance, and rightly so. Bursts of light from nowhere. A dragon firework. A choir of cherubs. Naturally, HOOPS was also stunned. It was difficult for poor HOOPS to pull himself away from the final demonstration, but he did. He was a clever boy and knew the sacrifice was worth it.
The door opened just as HOOPS had rigged it to and he slid inside, being sure to close it behind him.
He watched his idol shake hands with others and walked into the dressing room of the stage. He made his move; he was very careful not to let anyone see him approach the dressing room door. He turns the knob and enters.
He sees the long-haired, long-bearded wizard combing his hair in the mirror before stopping to turn around.
"Ah! An audience member!," he warmly said, "What a delight to see children bypass my security guards! The wisdom of new generations is not without my respect! ....You are here before Mister Merlin, young one! Tell me why!"
"I want to learn from you," HOOPS said.
"Do you now?," Merlin chuckled, "Most kids do. ....then again, most kids don't get this far. Perhaps there is something I can teach you."
HOOPS beamed. "Really?!?," he eagerly asked. Merlin smiled and nodded. "Indeed, my boy," he said, getting up and turning towards the door young HOOPS opened, "Follow me."
HOOPS eagerly followed his idol outside into the middle school parking lot, where Mr. Merlin's bus and pickup trailer were parked. Mr. Merlin led him to the door of the trailer atop the truck's bed.
"Inside here is where I keep the most valuable object of all, the source of my powers," the wizard told the young boy, "Were you to touch it....you, too, could have powers."
HOOPS pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. This was happening! Every single thing he knew about magic was about to change forever.
"Are you ready to learn my greatest magic trick?," Mr. Merlin asked of HOOPS.
He nodded profusely. Mr. Merlin smiled and opened the trailer door. Nothing except a thin glass case atop a series of stacked VCRs was inside.
"It is a jewel, boy," Mr. Merlin assured him, "A large diamond. The case is unlocked. Go on. Touch it."
The astounded boy nodded and slowly walked towards the glass case. He opened the case delicately and looked upon the large jewel within. It shone into his eyes, the brilliance of its light overtaking and leaving him near breathless.
"Go ahead and touch it," Mr. Merlin said, watching from outside the trailer.
HOOPS looked back and nodded, turning towards the jewel within the case he opened.
He carefully reached out to it.....
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Mr. Merlin watched the boy reach out to the diamond as he pulled out a Desert Eagle and plugged enough rounds into the back of HOOPS' head until nothing remained of it. He closed the trailer door, locked it and hurried into the bus before his crew boarded and departed for the next town Mr. Merlin was scheduled to be in. Mr. Merlin, be he a true magician or a carnie with cheap parlor tricks, was indeed a cannibal who often used his mystique to his advantage, luring those curious enough to know his secret behind the act and learning it too late.
Such was the case for poor HOOPS. In 24 hours, he went from being an aspiring magician to just a turd a psychopath made.
THE END
The door opened just as HOOPS had rigged it to and he slid inside, being sure to close it behind him.
He watched his idol shake hands with others and walked into the dressing room of the stage. He made his move; he was very careful not to let anyone see him approach the dressing room door. He turns the knob and enters.
He sees the long-haired, long-bearded wizard combing his hair in the mirror before stopping to turn around.
"Ah! An audience member!," he warmly said, "What a delight to see children bypass my security guards! The wisdom of new generations is not without my respect! ....You are here before Mister Merlin, young one! Tell me why!"
"I want to learn from you," HOOPS said.
"Do you now?," Merlin chuckled, "Most kids do. ....then again, most kids don't get this far. Perhaps there is something I can teach you."
HOOPS beamed. "Really?!?," he eagerly asked. Merlin smiled and nodded. "Indeed, my boy," he said, getting up and turning towards the door young HOOPS opened, "Follow me."
HOOPS eagerly followed his idol outside into the middle school parking lot, where Mr. Merlin's bus and pickup trailer were parked. Mr. Merlin led him to the door of the trailer atop the truck's bed.
"Inside here is where I keep the most valuable object of all, the source of my powers," the wizard told the young boy, "Were you to touch it....you, too, could have powers."
HOOPS pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. This was happening! Every single thing he knew about magic was about to change forever.
"Are you ready to learn my greatest magic trick?," Mr. Merlin asked of HOOPS.
He nodded profusely. Mr. Merlin smiled and opened the trailer door. Nothing except a thin glass case atop a series of stacked VCRs was inside.
"It is a jewel, boy," Mr. Merlin assured him, "A large diamond. The case is unlocked. Go on. Touch it."
The astounded boy nodded and slowly walked towards the glass case. He opened the case delicately and looked upon the large jewel within. It shone into his eyes, the brilliance of its light overtaking and leaving him near breathless.
"Go ahead and touch it," Mr. Merlin said, watching from outside the trailer.
HOOPS looked back and nodded, turning towards the jewel within the case he opened.
He carefully reached out to it.....
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Merlin watched the boy reach out to the diamond as he pulled out a Desert Eagle and plugged enough rounds into the back of HOOPS' head until nothing remained of it. He closed the trailer door, locked it and hurried into the bus before his crew boarded and departed for the next town Mr. Merlin was scheduled to be in. Mr. Merlin, be he a true magician or a carnie with cheap parlor tricks, was indeed a cannibal who often used his mystique to his advantage, luring those curious enough to know his secret behind the act and learning it too late.
Such was the case for poor HOOPS. In 24 hours, he went from being an aspiring magician to just a turd a psychopath made.
THE END
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