A Life Less Ordinary Read Online Free PDF Page A

roar of approval from the crowd, including a group of drunken teenagers who waved glasses of beer in the air. I blanched, glad that no one could see me, and then swallowed hard. I knew what was coming.
    “Welcome, one and all,” Master Revels said. His voice seemed to boom out, effortlessly drowning out the noise of the crowd. “And, if you please, a big round of applause for my lovely assistant, the fair Dizzy!”
    A spotlight shone down on me. The crowd roared its approval, the drunken young men loudest of all. I would have blushed, but instead I managed to smile. My costume suddenly made a great deal more sense. With the spotlight burning down, there were flashes of lights illuminating my body, drawing attention from all over the room.
    “And now...we will begin,” Master Revels proclaimed. He took off his top hat, bowed to the audience, and placed it down on the table. “Take a look at the table. There is nothing underneath; there is nothing on top, apart from the hat! And yet...”
    He paused, dramatically. “Wait...I bet you don’t trust me,” he added. “I bet you think I have a trick up my sleeve.” The crowd burst into laughter. “I need a victim...I’m sorry, I meant volunteer. I need a volunteer from the audience to prove that I have nothing up my sleeves.”
    There was a long pause, and then a young girl – barely older than twelve – was pushed onto the stage by her mother. There was a round of applause as I took her hand and escorted her over to the table, where she knelt and walked under the table, before picking up the hat and reaching deep into it. There was nothing there.
    “It’s empty,” she said, disappointed.
    “So it is,” Master Revels said. He looked up at the watching audience. “A big hand for Charlotte, if you please!”
    There was another round of applause as the girl was helped back into the audience. “And now,” Master Revels added, “we will begin.”
    He clicked his fingers together, holding them over the hat. The crowd grew silent as they watched. He pressed his fingertips together, allowing a tiny trickle of glitter to fall into the hat, before he reached in...and in...and in. His entire arm seemed to go into the hat. There were some gasps, but most of the audience was still watching silently. Master Revels struggled, as if he were trying to hang onto something that didn’t want to be caught, and then he pulled his hand out in one convulsive motion. A large green snake poured out of the hat and coiled itself on the stage, hissing nastily.
    “Oh dear,” Master Revels announced, dramatically. He pointed to a bulge in the snake’s skin. “Slither has eaten my rabbit!”
    The crowd roared with laughter, although a few nervous eyes were watching the snake. Slither’s head was moving from side to side, as if he was deciding which of us would make the next meal. I hated snakes on general principles, but Slither looked truly unpleasant. His golden eyes were too knowing to belong to just a mere animal.
    “I think I’d better rescue Mr Fluffy before he is digested,” Master Revels continued. He snapped his fingers and there was a flash of light. Slither reared back, hissing angrily, just before the rabbit burst out of his mouth and onto the table. The crowd cheered, some with relief. The rabbit peered at them all disdainfully and jumped back into the hat. “And he’s gone. I guess he doesn’t like being eaten.”
    He lowered his voice, aiming it towards the youngest children in the room. “It’s a jungle in there,” he said. Slither, in the meantime, had sighted the hamster and reared up, clearly intending to have the small rodent for dinner instead. Master Revels stood up, reached into the hamster cage and rescued the cowering creature. “Shall we teach Slither a lesson, children?”
    There was a general shout of approval. “All right,” Master Revels said. “Lets!”
    He placed the hamster down on the stage and waved to the snake. Slither turned and started