You don't look surprised at all? That's right.
You don't know Houdini at all, do you? The master trickster who had survived death all his life.
Who had collapsed on a stage in Detroit on October 24, 1926,
Who had been pronounced dead at 1: 26 p.m. on October 31, only to emerge at 11 p.m. in front of my grandfather's bakery in New York City.
Old Jacob was a man who loved novelty.
He had also heard of Harry Houdini's name, but he had never seen Houdini perform in his life (until this evening), so he did not recognize the travel-worn, sallow-faced man, who looked as if he had fought against disease all his life, as the world-renowned magician. He thought he was a poor drifter.
He was hungry and tired.
So he was happy to provide a chair just before closing time.
A few loaves of bread.
And a few moments of warm conversation. But the magician did not eat. He did not talk.
He just sat down and said he would show old Jacob a little magic.
The man, who looked like a drifter, wore only a dirty overcoat.
After opening the coat, Jacob saw the iron chains that bound him to various parts of his body. He pulled a pair of shackles out of his pocket and asked Jacob to chain one of his hands to his own.
There was only one lamp in the bakery that was about to close. The flickering light shone on the magician's expressionless, sickly face and on the steaming bread that was smeared with butter.
The street was lit only by the cold night and the north wind.
There were no passersby.
Jacob did not even hear the music, which had not been restrained by the glass doors of the bar. It was like the world was going out of control.
He thought. Then he said to the magician, What do you want to show me? All I have here is some bread that won't be sold tomorrow.
Jacob thought he was a bandit. The magician smiled, a pale, weak smile. He went on, his voice soft but stubborn. I want to show you a little magic.
Old Jacob smiled, too. His smile had always been infectious. The man before him was cold, as if he could not get warm again — as if he could not survive another winter. He asked the magician, Are you a magician?
The magician said, No. I'm a trickster.
Old Jacob said, But you said you were going to show me some magic.
The magician said, "It's all a trick."
But old Jacob — old Jacob, always receptive to novelty — retorted, "I think there is magic in the world. I don't know why, but I think there are a lot of wonderful people and animals around us." Don't you think so?
Magician finally revealed a genuine smile. He coughed and said, "I believe you, but I'm just a liar.
Old Jacob poured him a warm cup of honey water. "What do you want to show me?" he asked.
Magician didn't touch the cup that was emitting heat. His pale face twitched strangely as he said, "Two prophecies. I can predict two days of death."
Old Jacob asked, "Death?" Whose is it?
The magician said: One of them is yours. The other one is mine.
Old Jacob thought, What's the fun in foreseeing the day of your death? However, he was also a particularly optimistic and good person. He thought that perhaps knowing the date of his death was not a bad thing. At least he could arrange everything properly before his death. So he asked the magician carefully, "May I know the date of my death?"
The magician said, "Today is the date. You will live to this day in 1993."
Old Jacob did the math. Ah, he would live to be a hundred years old. That was great news.
The magician saw his joy and said, "In return for the prophecy, you have to promise me one thing."
Old Jacobs nodded in agreement. Jonathan and I had both asked him why he agreed to Houdini's request so quickly. Moreover, he didn't know that he was Houdini at that time, and not a random swindler who wandered around the streets.
Old Jacob — an even older Jacob's ruddy, chubby face became mournful. He said, "Because I was looking at him. I saw his eyes. I don't think a man so sad would lie."
Sad Houdini said, "I want you to keep something safe for me until you die. Don't let anyone see it."
Old Jacob said, "Okay, I'll keep it safe. No one will see it."
The magician emphasized, "You can't tell anyone about it either."
Old Jacob said, "I'll keep it a secret."
Magician coughed and laughed. "I can perform some magic for you now."
Just like on the stage, he let Old Jacob check the chains on his body and the shackles on their wrists. They were solid and authentic. After confirming that there were no mistakes, he took a step back and raised his other hand to his chest. It was a gesture of respect and farewell.
Jacob suddenly thought of a question. "Now, dear sorcerer, may I know the date of your death?"
Magician smiled sincerely and said softly, "Today."
Then, the chains on his body began to vibrate. At the same time, choking smoke suddenly squeezed between the two of them. Old Jacob was choked to tears and subconsciously stepped back. The shackles between the two of them made a soft click. When Old Jacob came back to his senses, only half of the shackles were left on his wrists. When the smoke dissipated, Magician was gone. The shackles on his body were now tied to a metal box on the floor.
Harrison clenched the shackle. "The next day, Jacob read the newspaper carefully. He saw the magician's picture and learned his name."
Hermione and Percy were stunned for a moment. "His prophecy came true!" Hermione blurted out. Percy said almost at the same time, "But was it really magic?"
Harrison played with the half handcuff with a dark look in his eyes and said in a low voice, "Escape. It was Houdini's best escape technique. " He looked up and stared at the two. "And that time, no matter how he did it, he escaped from the Grim Reaper."
Hermione was startled by the stare. She rubbed her temples to wake herself up. "You said that he was pronounced dead on October 31st, 1926, but this record is very likely … fake. So, it's possible that he appeared in New York that night."
Harrison looked at her expressionlessly. "Houdini's death has been controversial for decades. A mere identification report can't prove anything. But miss, how did he predict the date of death of a stranger? Seventy years later? "
Hermione opened her mouth, but she couldn't say the word "coincidence". At the same time, her brain was working quickly to organize the clues. Harry and Snape must have gone to before 1960, which was the time before Snape was born. If they wanted to send a message to 1993, they had to use the Muggles' method because all traces of magic would disappear in 1993, so …
"Harry knows everything …" Hermione lowered her head and murmured.
If it was Harry, he would know the date of Houdini's death, and possibly the date of old Korvasky's death. If it was Harry, he could leave such an agreement through Houdini's mouth, and let the iron box be dusty in the Ring of Time. All of this …
"… is not a coincidence." Hermione was sure in her heart.
"But why?" Percy probably knew what Hermione was thinking, but he still had doubts. "Why would Harry know Mr. Korvasky's … date?"
Hermione shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. Maybe Harry met Korvasky in one of his reincarnations?
The Korvasky brothers were even more confused. Harrison leaned forward and approached Hermione and Roland. "The Harry you are talking about … Which Harry are you referring to?" He was definitely not referring to Houdini.
Hermione didn't answer, but looked directly at Harrison and asked tit-for-tat back, "Do you want to know? Do you want to know what happened on the night of October 31, 1926? "
Jonathan, who was pretending to be aloof, also became serious. He sat up straight next to Harrison and looked at Hermione and Roland with interest. "Miss, we have finished a story about the exchange of information. Is it your turn now?"
Hermione was speechless. After a while, she said, "We have nothing to say."
Jonathan crossed his arms. "Then forgive us for not liking the trade deficit."
Jonathan, who was very pleasant, now had a marketing smile on his face. Harrison, who looked cold, was not as calm as his brother. He had been staring at Hermione, who was the spokesperson. Seeing that she didn't want to talk, he grabbed Percy's collar and lifted him up.
Percy was one of the outstanding graduates of Hogwarts, which meant that he got an O in most of his subjects, including the newly opened combat class. During the time he was trapped in Grimm Town, he also gained a lot of combat experience, even though Percy was regarded as a civilian most of the time.
Percy's body reacted before his mind. His face changed, and he subconsciously pushed Harrison's arm away. He then stood up and said to Hermione, "Let's go to the museum another day." It was already past closing time.
Hermione looked at the faces of the Kowalski brothers. She also stood up cautiously and bowed slightly to say goodbye. "Sorry to bother you."
Harrison was still looking at his arm. He was also a magician, and — to put it bluntly, he should be one of the top magicians in this field. Even if he didn't deliberately make a move, the young man's counterattack was too fast. These two people were definitely not some gossip reporters who were looking for the secrets of famous people.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
