0:04

The rest of the day is spent in

0:07

anxious anticipation, and

0:10

on the way to the theater you can't help but feel your

0:12

pocket over and over to check on the card,

0:14

and

0:15

by the time you take your seat your

0:17

hand is nearly shaking.

0:21

Sure enough, the seat

0:23

next to you is already occupied. A

0:26

portly man, hat on his lap with

0:28

his wife, they nod politely

0:30

as you slip in. He

0:34

is excited, fidgeting

0:36

on the armrest, and

0:38

the seat is creaking. But

0:41

as the show starts his breathing calms down,

0:43

and then, during a suspenseful

0:45

balancing trick, he becomes sufficiently

0:48

distracted for you to gently slip the

0:50

card into his jacket pocket.

0:51

in

0:54

time, too, for the man bursts

0:56

into applause as the dove appears out of

0:58

nowhere.

1:01

At turning back you find your eyes locked

1:03

on the magician, stepping forward

1:05

to the edge of the stage. You

1:09

wake in a strange room. Your

1:12

clothes are foreign and the walls are covered

1:14

in objects from a different world. You

1:18

don't know where or when you are, or

1:20

if you're still dreaming. There

1:23

are footsteps in the hall. Jumping

1:25

up, you race out of the room and into the streets.

1:28

You have just entered...

1:31

The Twilight Histories. Welcome

1:37

to The Twilight Histories, an

1:40

audio adventure series that casts

1:42

you as the hero.

1:45

You are about to embark

1:47

on a journey through time to

1:49

19th century Paris.

1:52

You are a magician in search

1:54

of a great master of the Dark Art. you

1:57

discover may cause you to question

1:59

the boundary between illusion

2:02

and magic. Today's

2:05

story was created by Tristan

2:07

Verboveen and was pre-released

2:09

to our patrons a few months ago. The

2:12

show you hear today will

2:14

have a bonus track only

2:17

available to patrons, so once

2:19

you finish listening to this show and you're

2:22

dying to hear more, head

2:24

on over to our Patreon page and

2:26

sign up to be a supporting member.

2:29

We can't create these stories

2:31

without you.

2:33

And now, The Magician

2:35

by Tristan Verboven.

2:45

The door of the carriage swings open.

2:50

A woman slides in quickly, peeling

2:52

off the black coat and trousers, pulling

2:56

open the bow tie and stripping down

2:58

to her laced dress. Then,

3:02

unraveling her damp hair, she

3:05

wipes her face clean in a hand mirror,

3:10

pausing a moment to take a deep breath.

3:14

From a velvet bag she spreads

3:16

out a magnificent necklace, gleaming

3:19

with diamonds over her hands. They

3:23

sparkle in her eyes. She

3:28

smiles.

3:31

Actually, actually no wait.

3:34

I'm getting ahead of myself here.

3:37

We should probably start this story

3:40

at the beginning. There,

3:44

that's more like it? The theater. All of those familiar

3:47

sounds. The low chatter of people

3:51

finding their seats. The

3:54

low chatter of people finding their

3:56

seats. resonating

4:01

on the ornate columns and chandeliers.

4:05

You signed up for a trip to Paris in the

4:07

Belle Epoque. The

4:10

turn of the century is a popular

4:12

destination for lovers of art and

4:14

the good life, the golden

4:17

age of impressionism and modernism,

4:21

the cultural center of the world. But

4:25

there is a special reason that

4:27

of all of the shows on Boulevard de Clichy

4:30

that night, instead

4:32

of going to the Moulin Rouge, you

4:35

have chosen a dingy 100-seat

4:37

backstreet theater to see

4:40

a magic show.

4:41

You

4:45

are tracking down something many

4:48

don't even believe exists. A

4:51

secret wrapped in

4:54

a secret.

4:55

A

4:58

legendary trick known as the Sacculum

5:00

Veritatis. To

5:03

our knowledge, this trick was only

5:05

performed successfully once, and

5:08

then never again, and We

5:11

can say little about this performer, known

5:15

simply as the Magician.

5:20

All we know for sure is the sacculum veritatis

5:23

is real, and

5:26

that it is the greatest magic trick

5:29

ever performed. They

5:32

even say that learning the trick

5:34

comes with a curse, and the magician

5:36

who performs it successfully, may

5:39

never perform it again.

5:41

Shhh,

5:45

the lights are going down. And

5:50

then the lights fall to complete darkness.

5:52

The audience sits

5:53

in this darkness for several moments without

5:55

stirring. And then... you

6:00

A sudden

6:21

shaft of light breaks the blackness. A

6:24

figure appears, elegant, slender

6:28

form-fitting black coat, top

6:31

hat gently plopped to the side,

6:34

a patterned waistcoat with silk

6:36

cravat and pocket square, tall

6:41

cheekbones, alabaster

6:43

complexion, intensely

6:45

void expression.

6:49

Long fingers delicately produce

6:51

a deck of cards, followed by

6:54

an extraordinary display of cardistry.

6:57

From this deck the cards are snapped from hand

7:00

to hand,

7:00

each

7:03

pass fanning the cards in a flurry of

7:05

shapes and impossible configurations.

7:10

The cards move faster and faster, not

7:14

once causing a break to the gripping spell

7:16

on the audience.

7:19

Then one last cut

7:22

with one hand, and the magician

7:24

finally speaks. Four

7:26

aces. Each of

7:28

the four aces appears. They can

7:31

appear? One by one

7:33

they leave the deck spinning in the air, landing in perfect

7:35

unison on the other hand. And

7:37

they can disappear. The

7:40

deck is then fanned. One

7:42

by one the aces fly back, buried

7:44

without a trace into the perfectly shuffled

7:47

deck. You are

7:48

right to suspect, ladies and gentlemen, that

7:50

the aces you saw a moment ago have

7:53

not in fact disappeared

7:54

at all. The magician says

7:56

this, snapping the fan shut, followed

7:59

by another- sequence of card cuts and shuffles,

8:01

and then with a sly grin, the audience chuckles.

8:14

The

8:17

long nimble fingers turn the deck around,

8:19

fanning it out once again.

8:24

The deck reveals the four aces in order

8:26

as they were presented. Then

8:30

the rest of the deck in the same order,

8:33

every single card, an ace.

8:36

With a clap of the hands, the deck is gone, producing

8:39

instead a white dove to the

8:42

gaps and claws of the audience.

8:49

This act is followed

8:51

by a dazzling series of illusions and

8:53

slights of hand, producing out

8:55

of nowhere an impossible array of objects, to

8:58

disappear in similarly perplexing

9:00

ways, followed each time

9:03

by a growing wave of applause.

9:09

Until the final act, the

9:12

stage is filled by a fine, smoky

9:14

haze.

9:18

from the milky din

9:20

the magician appears, standing

9:22

by a small table containing a film

9:24

projector.

9:32

We are living in extraordinary times, ladies

9:34

and gentlemen. Extraordinary indeed.

9:40

The machine is intriguing in of itself.

9:44

Brass knobs and a broad spool hanging

9:46

above a narrow lens tube, illuminating

9:50

to a chattering harmony as it sends its

9:52

beams to a vertical shaft of

9:54

light across the stage. With

9:57

machines, we can create illusions.

10:00

indistinguishable from reality.

10:03

A figure of the magician is projected and appears

10:05

in the shaft of light across the stage. It

10:09

turns to the audience and

10:11

speaks. For what is real?

10:14

asks the figure. Am I real?

10:17

Or am I real? replies the magician

10:19

from behind the projector. A light chuckle

10:22

comes from the audience. I am the magician.

10:25

announces the figure defiantly. The

10:27

magician is me. responds

10:30

the magician, passing a hand

10:32

before the beam of light causing the figure to

10:34

momentarily vanish. How

10:37

can you be sure? replies the figure, stepping

10:40

out of the beam of light towards the projector. The

10:43

audience gasps perplexed. Because

10:45

I know I am the magician, replies

10:48

the figure from behind the projector stepping forward.

10:50

No, the magician's me. The

10:53

two figures now approach one another, meeting

10:56

face to face in the middle of the stage. They

10:59

raise the palms of their hands to meet,

11:02

and then, in a single

11:04

motion, step

11:07

into each other to make

11:09

one. The audience offers

11:12

a smattering of applause as

11:14

the single magician steps

11:17

forward to the edge of the stage, bowing.

11:22

Then, suddenly a woman stands

11:25

up from her seat in the front row, and she

11:27

rushes to the edge of the stage. She

11:29

passes her hand through the figure of the magician.

11:32

The audience is stunned to silence as

11:34

the illusion diffuses into fog. She

11:40

cries, taking off her wig

11:42

and turning to face the audience. The

11:45

magician is me. I

11:47

am the magician. The magician removes

11:50

the disguise piece by piece, and

11:52

in the time it

11:52

takes to regain the stage, the

11:55

audience snaps out of its astonishment with

11:57

awkward claps followed

11:59

by more

12:00

and more applause until the

12:02

whole room is on its feet cheering. The

12:05

magician bows graciously, standing

12:09

now in the original coat and tails.

12:19

The crowd spills out into the noisy

12:21

street, clustered under

12:24

street lamps, audience members,

12:26

still in disbelief, marvel

12:29

at what they've just seen. But

12:32

it is Paris at night, and the

12:34

street is lit up by dozens of signs

12:36

and billboards, and so

12:38

off you go into the busy evening at Pigalle

12:42

to process the spectacle you've just witnessed.

12:47

Impressive indeed, and superbly

12:49

executed, the

12:52

magician is clearly a master of the craft.

12:56

But, the Saculum Veritatis?

12:59

Surely that was not it.

13:04

Your thoughts on this are

13:06

soon dispelled by the touts of barkers

13:08

and ladies of the night, and the rush

13:11

of Paris nightlife sways drunkenly

13:13

from the countless showrooms on the Boulevard

13:15

de Clichy, and following its

13:17

glow down the dark side streets, you

13:20

make your way up to to Montmartre to your hotel,

13:24

careful to avoid the lurking shadows and

13:26

slippery cobblestones. The

13:29

climb levels off to a quieter but

13:32

vibrant square with bistros still

13:34

brimming with energy. Ah,

13:39

the bell at Puck! And you

13:41

were right in the heart of it, the square as exactly as

13:43

exactly as it would be in a painting. At

13:47

that moment, the unassuming passibi

13:49

could be none be none other than

13:52

Colette herself or Manet

13:55

or even Picasso.

13:56

You

13:59

find your way back to the the hotel, anxious

14:02

to see Paris by

14:04

day.

14:25

By morning the streets are alive again,

14:28

though they had only briefly fallen silent

14:30

in the early hours.

14:32

Montmartre, it's much as you

14:35

remember it from your own time, though

14:37

to your surprise the famous Sacré-Cure

14:40

is still under construction.

14:43

But the view from the high point still shows

14:45

the vast sprawl of the city, marked

14:48

by the distant unmistakable Eiffel

14:51

Tower.

14:54

It's weird. Everything

14:56

that is old is new. The

14:58

modern age is a spectacle

15:01

of brand new antiques, motor

15:04

cars and electric lights,

15:06

phonographs. And at the

15:09

Moulin de Galette a scene almost identical

15:11

to Renoir's painting unfolds. Couples

15:14

in elegant dresses and straw

15:17

hats, taking in a brass

15:19

band. Then,

15:21

walking towards Rue Abess, you

15:24

poke your head into the Batteau La Vois

15:26

looking to catch a glimpse of modern artists

15:29

at work. A scruffy

15:31

fellow with long hair and pointed beard

15:34

tips you off to a gallery show at Rue

15:36

La Fite. And

15:40

so, you make your way down to the somewhat

15:42

swankier 9th district.

15:45

In an inconspicuous

15:46

shop, you

15:48

marvel at the not-yet-priceless

15:51

collection of Cezanne's and Gogans

15:53

just leaning on the walls and stacked

15:56

on the floor and corners.

16:00

Then, stepping

16:02

out towards the fully-burger, you

16:05

see, seated quietly

16:08

at a corner café,

16:10

looking out at the pigeons on a triangular

16:12

square, it's none

16:15

other than the

16:17

magician.

16:20

Quite the dandy, dashing in

16:22

a pale striped coat

16:24

and crisp bowtie, with

16:27

buttonhole and smart flat

16:29

hat, and on

16:32

the table a single untouched

16:34

glass of white wine served on a saucer.

16:42

You compose yourself and bring up

16:44

the courage to say hello.

16:47

Sorry to disturb you, you say politely.

16:49

I

16:50

was in your audience last night and found

16:52

your performance quite extraordinary.

16:56

The magician pauses for a moment, looking

16:58

you up and down, and then, with a slight

17:00

smile,

17:02

Thank you. It is always nice

17:05

to hear from admirers. I

17:09

am indeed more than just an admirer,

17:12

you continue.

17:14

I am also a magician.

17:16

The magician's eyebrows

17:19

perk up,

17:20

extending a hand of invitation.

17:24

Please join me.

17:26

Taking a seat, you surreptitiously slip

17:29

a silver dollar under the salt shaker at

17:31

the edge of the table

17:33

as the magician signals the waiter. May

17:37

I offer you a coffee?

17:39

The waiter arrives promptly.

17:41

Espress, pas de l'éil n'issucre.

17:44

The magician immediately locks you

17:47

into an intense gaze. A

17:50

magician, you say. I

17:52

should like to see a trick then."

17:57

delighted you immediately

17:59

obliged. producing a shiny

18:01

silver dollar from your waistcoat fob

18:03

pocket.

18:04

You hold it up between your thumb and index

18:07

finger. Then

18:11

squeezing it into your palm, you gently

18:13

tap the back of your hand with the other hand,

18:16

revealing that the coin has vanished.

18:20

Perhaps you think it's down my sleeve, you

18:23

say, or perhaps between

18:25

my fingers, when

18:27

in In fact, it is under this

18:30

salt shaker.

18:32

Keeping your eyes locked on the magician,

18:35

you reach for the salt shaker to reveal the coin.

18:39

The magician, without breaking

18:41

your gaze, gives you a sad

18:44

look. But that is

18:46

a pepper shaker.

18:49

You look down and, sure enough,

18:51

you are holding a pepper shaker,

18:54

under which there is no coin.

18:58

Just then your coffee arrives

19:00

placed gently before you. Between

19:03

the cup and the saucer is your

19:06

shiny silver dollar.

19:09

Stunned, you glare at the magician.

19:13

It is like I said at the show. Beams

19:16

the magician. I am the magician,

19:19

and the magician is me. There

19:21

is no alter ego. There

19:24

is only me. Everything

19:26

I do is magic. All I

19:28

do is magic."

19:32

The magician unlocks your gaze, allowing

19:35

you now to realize what has

19:37

just happened.

19:40

I will tell you a secret.

19:42

The magician continues. What

19:45

makes me different from other magicians? Out

19:49

comes a crisp deck of cards. Magicians

19:53

are liars. They try to deceive

19:55

you. lead you astray

19:58

by trickery and Distraction.

20:00

The slender

20:04

fingers of the right hand start to shuffle

20:06

and cut the deck. But

20:09

I am different. When I do magic,

20:12

I only tell the truth.

20:15

I let the audience deceive themselves.

20:19

For the truth, it is the only

20:21

thing they never expect.

20:25

The nimble fingers,

20:28

long, slender and delicate, start

20:30

shuffling. Very

20:33

impressive, though, your execution

20:35

was flawless. Ah,

20:39

oh, ah, thank you, you

20:41

stammer. Name a card.

20:45

You pause, confused. A

20:47

card, any card, name it.

20:51

Without much thought, you name a card. A

20:54

four of spades, you say. Take

20:59

it. The long fingers

21:01

hold the deck before you. The

21:04

top card turned over.

21:08

It is the four of spades. The

21:12

magician leans in forward

21:14

slightly. How

21:16

would you like to help me with one of my tricks.

21:21

Turning the card in your fingers you try

21:23

to stay calm.

21:25

Why would like that very much? you

21:27

say. Your

21:29

role is very simple of course. The

21:32

magician's voice is now deep

21:34

and grave. At

21:36

my performance tonight

21:39

you would take your seat as you normally

21:41

would only this time.

21:45

You would carefully slide that card

21:48

into the pocket of the man to

21:50

your left.

21:54

look down at the car between your fingers

21:57

and then back at the magician.

22:00

Do it before the final act. There

22:03

will be several opportunities while I cause distraction.

22:08

The magician seems to delight at the look in

22:10

your eyes.

22:11

Do not let me down.

22:21

The

22:23

rest of the day is spent in anxious

22:26

anticipation. And

22:28

on the way to the theater you can't help but feel

22:30

your pocket over and over to check on the card.

22:34

By the time you take your seat, your

22:36

hand is nearly shaking. Sure

22:40

enough, the seat next

22:42

to you is already occupied. A

22:44

portly man, hat on his lap with

22:47

his wife, they nod politely

22:49

as you slip in.

22:51

is excited,

22:54

fidgeting on the armrest, and

22:56

the seat is creaking. But

22:59

as the show starts, his breathing calms down,

23:02

and then, during a suspenseful

23:04

balancing trick, he becomes sufficiently

23:06

distracted for you to gently slip the

23:08

card into his jacket pocket. Just

23:12

in time, too, for the man bursts

23:14

into applause as the dove appears out of

23:16

nowhere.

23:19

At turning Looking back you find your eyes locked

23:21

on the magician, stepping forward

23:24

to the edge of the stage.

23:28

I would like a volunteer from the audience. Low

23:33

muttering erupts around you. Would

23:36

anyone like to join me on the stage? The

23:42

man next to you raises his hand. Yes,

23:46

sir, says the magician, pointing

23:48

to him. Please,

23:51

ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause.

23:56

The man, delighted to have been chosen,

23:59

makes a way down the road to the aisle, graciously

24:03

taking in the applause until

24:05

he is standing a few paces from the magician.

24:08

Stand right there, warns

24:10

the magician. The

24:13

man stands, gawkingly facing the

24:15

audience.

24:17

For the next few minutes, the man participates

24:20

in a series of comical exchanges and sleight-of-hand

24:22

gags, all the

24:24

while standing in a spot,

24:29

until the final trick

24:31

brought in with some gravity by

24:34

the magician. This

24:36

last trick, sir, is very

24:38

simple, says the magician, shuffling

24:41

the deck. Simple for you,

24:43

that is. Not simple for

24:45

me. The crowd

24:47

chuckles. There is a dramatic

24:50

pause. a card."

24:54

The man hesitates. The

24:56

crowd chuckles again.

25:01

Any card in the deck, name it." The

25:04

man strains his face. He

25:08

shrugs. The

25:11

four of spades. The

25:19

magician fans out the deck, looking

25:21

through the deck for the card, and

25:24

then holds up the cards to

25:26

the man. Do you

25:28

see your card in here?" He

25:31

scans the cards, seeing

25:34

no four of spades. Surely

25:36

it's in there somewhere? Grins

25:38

the magician.

25:41

The man shakes his head and shrugs.

25:43

Perhaps you should check your pockets. The

25:46

crowd chuckles. No,

25:50

really. Check your pockets.

25:54

The man pats his jacket, first

25:56

taking out his wallet and then some keys,

25:59

a pack of

26:00

of cigarettes and a lighter, and

26:01

a bus transfer, and

26:03

then finally to his amazement,

26:06

produces a playing card from his jacket pocket.

26:10

The four of spades. The

26:12

crowd gasps. He holds

26:15

the card in his hands in disbelief. But

26:18

how? A round of applause, ladies

26:20

and gentlemen! The

26:24

man returns to his seat, perplexed.

26:28

But as you leave the theater, you

26:30

are more perplexed than anyone.

26:32

What did you just witness?

26:35

To the audience,

26:36

it was a simple trick, like any other,

26:39

a work of magic and illusion.

26:41

But within the trick, was there not

26:44

another trick? A trick only for you?

26:48

This time, as you walk through Pigal, you

26:51

cannot get the trick out of your mind. The

26:54

Four of Spades. Could

26:57

this man have been a plant? And

26:59

if so, then why did he need the

27:01

card planted? How many

27:03

layers deep is this ruse? Or

27:05

is this just a joke on me?

27:16

A few days pass and the uneasy

27:19

feeling you once had in your gut

27:21

slowly falls away. You

27:24

are in Paris after all,

27:26

the most exciting time in its history, taking

27:29

in the sights through the city in many ways.

27:32

It has not really changed. Same

27:35

busy streets, same

27:37

tourists, same metro system, only

27:40

the clothing and the vehicles are different. Especially

27:44

the buses. Old

27:48

cast iron wooden hulks, double

27:50

deckers, slow and crowded.

27:56

and one

27:56

day taking the bus down Sevastopol,

27:59

an article in the

28:00

newspaper catches your eye. A

28:03

special performance at the Hotel Continental,

28:08

featuring none other than the magician. It

28:12

will be an exclusive affair. Included

28:16

in the audience, the mayor of Paris,

28:19

several dignitaries will be there too, including

28:21

the chief of police and the guest of honor,

28:24

the Comtesse Formosa

28:26

de They

28:30

don't know it yet, but

28:32

that will be my last performance." A

28:34

voice comes from across the aisle. The

28:37

bus comes to a stop as passengers disembark. I

28:41

didn't get a chance to thank you. It's the magician,

28:44

dripped in elegant

28:46

tweed straight-cut trousers, revealing

28:50

a balmoral boots and spats, boots and spats, a

28:53

finely patterned sport jacket topped

28:55

off with a neatly feathered Humburg hat,

28:59

slipping into the seat next to you. I

29:01

trust you enjoyed the show. It

29:05

was intriguing, you reply.

29:08

Tonight though shall be a show to remember.

29:11

I'll be doing my greatest work. No

29:17

doubt you have heard of a trick called

29:20

the Saculum Veritatis. The

29:24

magician takes a discreet tone. I

29:27

have been preparing it for months and

29:29

I plan to perform it at this show tonight." I

29:34

should like to see it, you reply.

29:37

I must warn you though, the Saculum

29:39

Veritatis is many things to many

29:42

people and once you look behind

29:44

the curtain, your life will be changed

29:47

forever. Before

29:50

you can reply, the magician continues,

29:54

I will need your help again. It

29:56

is a very small part, but an important

29:58

one.

30:00

someone courageous, reliable,

30:04

honest.

30:08

The magician opens the paper to an illustration.

30:11

A woman in splendid dress

30:13

and tiara draped in a sparkling diamond

30:16

necklace. A gift

30:18

from the Ottoman Pasha, diamonds

30:21

estimated at almost a million francs.

30:25

She will not be wearing it of Of course, it

30:27

will be locked away in the hotel safe at the mezzanine,

30:31

along with the valuables of every guest.

30:36

And what does that have to do

30:38

with the magic trick, you

30:40

ask? Well, before

30:42

the show, I will ask to deposit

30:44

some valuables of my own into the safe, in

30:48

the form of a small, red bag.

30:52

During the performance, the bag will

30:54

be removed from the safe and

30:56

produced for all to see. Okay,

31:00

how will you do that? You ask.

31:02

It is you who will do

31:05

it,

31:05

replies the magician

31:08

gravely. I

31:10

will cause the distraction, and

31:12

you will enter the safe, take

31:15

the bag, and bring it to me.

31:19

How on earth will I… Of course,

31:23

the most difficult part is not

31:26

getting into the safe. You

31:28

will have the combination, and you

31:30

will have the opportunity. The

31:34

magician looks deep into your eyes. The

31:37

difficult part will be to take the

31:39

red bag, only

31:42

the red bag,

31:44

and nothing else.

31:48

Ah, well, I... there

31:50

will be a fortune in that safe, continues

31:53

the magician. A king was ransom

31:56

for the taking, but the

31:59

trick was... only work if

32:02

you do not

32:03

take it. It

32:05

is very important that you

32:08

do not take any of it. You

32:14

do not know what to

32:16

say.

32:18

Taking the valuables will be foolish.

32:21

The chief of police himself will be there.

32:24

You'll never get away with it, and besides,

32:27

if this is done right, you

32:29

will receive a treasure far

32:31

more valuable than anything

32:34

in that safe.

32:36

You will learn

32:39

the Succulum Veritatis, the

32:42

greatest vanishing trick of all

32:45

time, and

32:46

once you see it performed,

32:48

you will know exactly how

32:51

I did it."

32:57

The magician hands you an invitation,

33:00

printed on elegant card stock, embossed

33:03

with raised gold letters, and

33:06

on the back, a sequence of handwritten

33:08

numbers. The

33:11

combination to the safe, whispers

33:14

the magician. During

33:16

the final act of the show, I will

33:19

be lowered into a tank of water

33:21

inside a metal case. And

33:24

while the audience is distracted by me

33:27

trying to escape with my life, you

33:30

will go up to the mezzanine, slip

33:33

past the guards, enter

33:35

the concierge's office to the safe, and

33:39

at that moment it

33:41

will be clear what to

33:43

do.

33:49

The bus comes to a stop and the magician

33:51

waits for everyone to get off and get on. I

33:54

must trust you to take the red bag and

33:57

leave the valuables in the safe.

34:00

I cannot stress

34:02

how important this is. The

34:04

consequences can be very severe

34:06

indeed. Not to mention,

34:09

the greatest magic trick of all time

34:12

could be ruined. You

34:16

turn the invitation in your fingers thoughtfully.

34:19

Can I trust you?

34:22

After a moment of thought you give your reply.

34:25

You can... But the magician is

34:29

gone.

34:37

There is only one thing to do. You

34:40

came here for it. And

34:42

the opportunity is here. There

34:46

is nothing to do but go on this journey.

34:50

You will learn the sacculum veritatis,

34:53

the greatest trick ever performed.

34:59

That was The Magician

35:01

by Tristan Vrpovin.

35:21

If

35:26

you want to hear the rest of this story,

35:28

please head on over to our Patreon

35:31

page. You can find it by

35:33

going to the website at TwilightHistories.com

35:37

and clicking on the Patreon link,

35:39

or by going directly to Patreon.com

35:42

and running a search for Twilight

35:44

Histories.

35:46

Have a browse through all the Patreon

35:48

content until you find the

35:50

magician.

35:52

I warn you, you may get

35:54

distracted by all the other content

35:56

you see. There are tons

35:59

of audio. only available

36:01

to patrons going back 11 years.

36:05

So if you're a fan of the Twilight

36:07

histories

36:08

you will discover plenty of fantastic

36:11

shows you can unlock. So

36:14

head on over to our Patreon

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and unlock a world of

36:21

adventures.

36:23

I'm Jordan Harbour, thank you for listening

36:26

to the Twilight histories. Until next

36:28

time,

36:29

take care.