The following day, the paper’s headline read: “The Great Occam Cobb’s Final Performance Will Be Held Tonight!”
“It’s the last day to see your idol, you going to it, kid,” Mr. Garrett asked.
Jonathan shook his head softly. “No, I think I’m over him.”
The answer gave Mr. Garrett a puzzled look. He was ready to question the boy further on it, but Jonathan had walked away to complete his work. Mr. Garrett soon shrugged the matter off and returned to reading his newspaper.
The following day Jonathan was met with an alarming headline: “The Great Occam Cobb Vanishes.”
The headline caught his attention and he began reading the article out loud:
“Occam Cobb known as the greatest magician of our time set out to perform his final show over the evening. The magician had been doing well selling out tickets to all his shows for the entire week. His performances dazzled audiences with never before seen marvels. His most noteworthy one, ‘The Occam Transporter’, had audiences baffled beyond belief.
“However, events took a turn when the famed magician elected to transport an audience member having already done so himself. Audiences were thrown for a loop when Cobb elected to enter the box again instead of the selected volunteer. Even stranger, the audience was surprised when the magician never appeared in the other box as prior depicted. At first, the audience thought it was joke, but when the magician never appeared after several minutes, people began to worry.
“As of now, local officials are investigating. If anyone has information on Occam Cobb’s disappearance, they are to contact local authorities immediately,” Jonathan finished.
“Shame thing indeed, sorry about all that, kid,” Mr. Garrett replied, overhearing him read the article.
Jonathan didn’t respond. He had done it, he thought. He defied them. He felt a small smile form across his lips. He was a true lover of magic after all.
Epilogue
Many years later, Jonathan became a successful businessman. At some point, he managed to earn enough to take care of his mother. They moved away from the city, owning a nice house in the countryside. His mother who no longer had to work long hours spent most of her days attending the garden of the house.
One day, Jonathan was in the city for business. While passing an old newspaper stand, he caught sight of the headline: “Be Amazed as a Man Claiming to Be the Once Great Occam Cobb Performs Tonight!”
This article struck Jonathan odd, but he shrugged it off believing it to be a man honoring the legacy of Occam. Later that night, he decided to watch the show for old time’s sake.
That evening at the show, he sat in the middle row. It wasn’t as close as the seat he had as a child, but it was close enough. The show began with the orchestra blaring their ambitious instruments like he remembered. He smiled to himself, the moment bringing back nostalgic memories.
Immediately, after the instruments began playing, a man emerged upon the stage. He looked vaguely familiar. It wasn’t until he stepped clear into the light that Jonathan could see him. When he did, his heart dropped and his eyes grew big.
There standing on the stage was Occam Cobb, who appeared as if he hadn’t aged a day since the last time he saw him. Even stranger, Occam appeared to squint many times as if the light was too bright for him to bear.
