The Magic Misfits - Neil Patrick Harris Page 0,66
Rows of chairs arch around a stage. Red velvet curtains drape across a high proscenium.
A crowd is gathering. You recognize many of their faces, though you’ve never met any of them officially. You’re tempted to say hello. And maybe you will. Later.
The seats are filling up. Take yours near the front. Hurry! The seat is marked RESERVED. Just for you.
As the lights flash, you gaze around in wonder. The murmurs grow as the lights dim, but everyone quiets as they go completely dark. You can feel your heart in your chest, pounding like the engine of a locomotive racing through a tunnel. A spot appears against the curtains—as white and bright as the sun. In the center of the circle stands a man who radiates a familiar warmth. He removes his top hat and flicks aside the front of his cape. Its lining flashes red. The man smiles, his black, pencil-thin mustache stretching across his top lip, just as you’ve always imagined it would.
“Ladies, gentlemen, everyone,” says the man. “Welcome to our new home. And I mean that in the widest sense of the word. Home. We’ve worked hard to create a place where you will feel welcome. Where you will feel wonder. Where you’ll find family and friends and conversation. For isn’t that what makes a home? You are welcome tonight, of course, but please know, you will always be welcome, as long as these walls stand and probably even if they don’t.
“This evening is our grand opening! To help us celebrate, I’ve gathered six very talented performers for you. They’re here to inspire chills, thrills, awe, and wonderment. Though they are young, I see myself in each of them. They’ve taught me so much over the past few years, I feel like a new man. Tonight, may you feel new as well.
“Without further ado, I give you, my friends, the Magic Misfits!” The man claps and steps aside as the spotlight blinks out and the curtains part.
Six figures stand before you in the new dark, backlit by a cerulean glow. The audience roars as the lights come up. There’s Carter, blinking as his blue eyes adjust. His blond hair flops to the side. His dark suit is sharp. His mouth curls as he tries to hold back a grin. Beside him stands his cousin, Leila, who’s dressed in a rainbow sequined skirt and a red jacket with silver cording and sparkling epaulettes. We all hope that her straitjacket will appear shortly. Next are Olly and Izzy holding hands and wearing big, toothy smiles. Their black hair mirrors each other, as do their pink-yellow-and-orange-plaid three-piece suits. Theo rises over them, standing tall and proud. His white tuxedo is a change from what we’ve usually seen him dressed in, and we like it. At the end is Ridley, her gauzy pink dress ruffled like a flower. It’s so unlike her, but we know that’s why she’s wearing it. She wants to do something unexpected, because that’s just her way. Her wild curls and bright eyes tell us that she’s still the same girl inside, no matter how she may transform on the outside.
Carter steps forward and raises his hand, thanking the crowd for the applause. “Thank you, Dante,” he says loudly into the wings. “We’re honored to be here.” As he adjusts his jacket, hundreds of playing cards drop to the stage from inside. They keep pouring out, as if there’s some sort of card spigot under his arms. “I’ll clean those up later,” he says with a wink.
Leila twirls and then holds out her hands to the audience. She claps her palms together, and rainbow streamers shoot from her sleeves and into the first few rows. One of them brushes your cheek.
The twins shout, “One! Two! Three!” A moment later, Izzy is perched, standing on Olly’s shoulders.
Theo sticks out his tongue and blows a raspberry. From the rear of the theater comes a flapping of wings. Several doves shuttle a violin and a bow over the heads of the audience. We all stare up, nervous and exhilarated, until the birds and the instrument reach Theo safely. He gives a polite bow before glancing to the final Misfit beside him.
Ridley spins her chair in place. When she comes back around, her poufy pink dress has been replaced with a glittering green toga, and the look on her face is filled with secrets. The good kind. The kind that make you wonder, that give you chills, that make you wish to keep turning pages and coming back for more. Ridley calls out, “Have we got a show for you!”
You know she’s right. You can’t wait to see what they’ve been practicing, what they’ve prepared now that they’ve had time to finally just be themselves. A group of kids who love figuring out how things work, who love sharing what they’ve learned, who love making people smile.
You realize that you are smiling. Their magic is already here. It’s been here all along.
You are ready to join them. To join us.
All you need to do is repeat after me.
SIM SALA BIM!
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sincere thanks to the many people who have helped put The Fourth Suit together. As any magician will tell you, a successful illusion show can never happen without a masterful backstage crew. So I offer my heartfelt appreciation to the many, far more talented people than myself who were part of bringing these characters and stories to life, most importantly: Deirdre Jones at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, for keeping this fast-moving train from careening off its tracks; Dan Poblocki, our unique carnival’s ultimate pitchman; Lissy Marlin, whose wonderful images draw crowds in every town; Kyle Hilton, the illustrious Magic Moments illustrator; Laura Nolan, for her elegant whip-cracking skills; Jonathan Bayme, the man behind my magical curtain in books and life; and Timothy Meola, my remarkable assistant and right-hand man—although considering everything he does, he’s really also my left-hand man, but since that would leave me handless and unable to type, let’s just stick to the right one.
And to all of you who have read this entire series, who have learned the lessons, solved the codes, practiced the tricks, developed a routine… well, that’s just, wow, that’s fantastic. It’s more than I ever imagined a book of my words could accomplish. I’m wholeheartedly humbled and honored that you and magic have become fast friends.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neil Patrick Harris is still an accomplished actor, producer, director, host, author, husband, magician, and father of effulgent twins. Harris also served as president of the Academy of Magical Arts from 2011 to 2014, so there. The New York Times bestselling Magic Misfits series was his middle-grade debut.