Story 3: The Trick Started Well

MATILDA
Slowly, very slowly, the Acrobat wrapped her shiny white scarf around her husband's neck.

MATILDA AND ACROBAT
"For luck, my love – "

MATILDA
– she said, kissing him with the gentlest of kisses.

MATILDA and ACROBAT
"Smile. We have done this a thousand times."

MATILDA
But suddenly, she hugged him with the biggest hug in the world, so hard that he thought she would hug all the air out of him. And so, they prepared themselves for the most dangerous feat that had ever been performed.

(The ESCAPOLOGIST and the ACROBAT take each others hands and walk back out of the stage.)

MATILDA
The great escapologist had to escape from the cage, lean out, catch his wife with one hand, grab a fire extinguisher with the other, and put out the flames on her specially-designed dress within twelve seconds before they reached the dynamite and blew his wife's head off!

MRS PHELPS screams in terror. MATILDA stares at her questioningly.

MRS PHELPS
Sorry, go on.

(MATILDA beckons MRS PHELPS to sit on the floor with her. A white sheet covers the back of the stage and silhouettes act out MATILDA's story upon it.)

MATILDA
The trick started well. The moment the specially-designed dress was set alight, the acrobat swung into the air. The crowd held their breath as she hurled over the sharks and spiky objects. One second. Two seconds. They watched as the flames crept up the dress. Three seconds. Four seconds. She began to reach out her arms towards the cage. Five seconds. Six seconds! Suddenly, the padlocks pinged open, and the huge chains fell away. Seven seconds. Eight seconds. The door flung open, and the escapologist reached out one huge, muscled arm to catch his wife and their child. Nine seconds! Ten seconds!

MRS PHELPS
Oh, I can't look!

MATILDA
Eleven seconds! And he grabs her hand, and. .. and. .. and suddenly, the flames are covered in foam before they can both be blown to pieces.

MRS PHELPS
Hooray! So the story does have a happy ending after all.

MATILDA
No.

MRS PHELPS
No?

MATILDA
No. Maybe it was the thought of the child. Maybe it was nerves. But the escapologist used just a touch too much foam. And suddenly, their hands became slippy, and she fell.

MRS PHELPS
No. Was. .. Was she okay? Did. .. Did she survive?

(The sheet parts and the ESCAPOLOGIST walks slowly forward, carrying the ACROBAT in his arms.)

MATILDA
She broke every bone in her body. Except for the ones at the ends of her little fingers. She did manage to live long enough to have their child, but the effort was too great. "Love our little girl," she said. "Love our daughter with all your heart. She was all we ever wanted."

(The ESCAPOLOGIST carries the ACROBAT off the front of the stage.)

ACROBAT'S VOICE
Love our girl with everything. She is everything.

MATILDA
And then, she died.

MRS PHELPS walks over to a cart of books, blowing her nose into a handkerchief.

MATILDA
And then, things got worse.

MRS PHELPS collapses against the cart.

MRS PHELPS
What? "Worse"? Oh, no, Matilda. Not worse. They can't get worse.

MATILDA
I'm afraid they did. Because the escapologist was so kind that he never for one second blamed the evil sister for what happened. In fact, he asked her to move in and help look after his daughter. She was nothing but rude to the little girl, making her wash, iron, cook, and clean, and beating her if she did a thing wrong. But always in secret, so that the escapologist never suspected a thing. And so the poor little girl grew up with the meanest, cruelest, horrible-est aunt you can possible imagine!

(MRS PHELPS
Let's call the police!!

MATILDA
Mrs Phelps! It's. .. It's just a story.

MRS PHELPS
What? Oh. Oh, yes. Of course. Matilda, you are so smart. Your parents must think they have won the lottery having a child like you.

MATILDA
Oh, yeah. Yeah, they do. They're always saying that, in fact. They say, "Matilda, we're so proud of you. You're like winning the lottery.". .. Yeah, I'd better go.)