Act 1: Call Magic - Jane Siberry

Oh my gosh, I almost didn’t make it!

But I did.

And I have so many messages for you from the

villages that I have passed through.

This is part three of a three part story.

A little bit strange

A little bit funny

And a little bit gory.

Here we go.

And as I came around the corner of the building,

I saw embedded in the wall a shell, I saw a most

beautiful pearl and I saw the footprints of a dog

and I saw a word M-A-G-l-C.

And I looked over to

you in your garden and you leaned forward to me

and you said ‘How beautiful!'.

Thank you!

‘No,

how beautiful are the columns of the temple that

have found their way here, right now.'

We can climb the highest mountain

We can ford the raging river

Even as we make the waitress cry

Even as we curse the next guy

Even as we brace for attack from our fellow man

And we can hear a child crying

on the other side of the world

Even as we can’t hear our own friends but …

And I came around the corner of the building

and I saw embedded in the wall a shell, a pearl,

a seven-league boot, the footprints of a dog and

I saw people streaming past you ¡n the garden.

Where were they going?

Hey!

CALL MAGIC!

A man approached me on the street and he said

‘You're so attractive'.

I know.

‘Your legs are like

columns in a temple, I just want to caress them and

I…' And I said aren’t you my girlfriend’s boyfriend?

Oh, I’d never do anything.

I just thought you valued

honesty.'

I do.

‘I just thought you valued openness.'

I DO.

Call Magic!

Wha?

Just then a woman came walking towards me

wearing what looked like a superhero’s cape but

not quite.

Very plain and unassuming.

And as

she passed, she looked at me and her eyes were

bright blue and piercing and brimming with

intelligence and humour.

I felt like I’d been zapped.

You never know who you’re talking to

You never know who you’re walking to

You never know who you’re sitting beside

You never know who you’re taking for a ride

What?

I take people for a ride?

LET GO!

But he just wouldn’t let go of it.

He said he’d never

do anything but he wouldn’t stop saying what he

wouldn’t do.

I couldn’t stop him.

Call Magic!

Not now.

Call Magic!

I’m too busy.

And I came around the corner of the building,

I saw embedded in the wall

a shell, a pearl, I did NOT see the footprints

of the dog though.

Hey!

And then I passed three men at the side Z.

of the road smoking.

And then I passed a couple talking.

Marry me.

I can’t marry you.

Marry me.

I won’t marry you.

You make me feel almost sleazy!

It’s not that you judge

I don’t feel like you do

It’s just how wobbly my spine feels

when I stand next to you

I pick up the phone.

I don’t call you.

I pick up the phone.

I don’t call you.

Marry me.

I won’t marry you

Mmuh schmuh!

Why doesn’t he just marry her?

Let Go!

But I didn’t understand, you see.

She was

just asking about integrity.

And my judgment of

this couple started to make me feel soooo sleepy.

As

if I’d been running through a field of self-vampirizing

poppies (the poppies being me).

CALL MAGIC!

No.

CALL MAGIC!

Muh…

CALL MAGIC!

Magic…

CALL MAGIC!

OK.

MAGIC!!!

Like That?

And to my great surprise a big black dog came

bounding towards me.

Wha?

Is this Magic?

You want me to take Magic for a walk?

So Magic

and I started walking towards the next village.

We passed three men — Shadrach, Meshach and

Abednego.

We passed three children — they

were humming at the side of a field and the field

was beginning to change, to come back to life.

And I felt like I’d had bandaids ripped from my

eyes and I was so … GRATEFUL?

Not exactly.

NOT EXACTLY!

NOT EXACTLY!