The final minutes ticked down to the start of the show. Augustus peeked around the edge of the curtain again. More people had arrived by now, and not a moment too soon! He glanced at his watch again. 7:00 on the dot. The ringmaster grabbed a long black cane with a red handle and pulled it apart to reveal his wand. After casting a quick sonorus, he was ready to go on. He took a deep breath to calm the rush of excitement that came with every performance. Showtime!
The lights went down, and Augustus had just enough time to replace his wand before the curtain parted. A spotlight appeared on him as he stepped onstage, flashing a dazzling smile “Witches and warlocks, children of all ages, welcome to the show!” he called, doffing his hat to the audience. “I am your ringmaster, Augustus Skender, and we have quite the creature feature in store for you tonight! So without further ado…”
He pointed upward with his cane. “First up, we have an animal acrobatics act of epic proportions. Put your hands together for our furry flier, the disappearing dynamo, the beast from the Far East… The Flying Demiguises!”
Augustus led the crowd in applause before bowing offstage with a dramatic flourish.
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