In Search of Clothing

As the audience hooted with laughter and a couple of shillings rang on the boards at her feet, tossed by men in the audience, Eva's milky skin blushed a flaming crimson from her belly all the way to the roots of her hair and began looking around for her things.

There was nothing on the boards, she was all too sure of that. Covering her sex with ne hand and clasping her other arm across her bosom, Eva said to the magician, "Very clever, you magsman. I concede I've no idea how you managed this trick. All right, now give me back my clothing!"

The magician shook his head mockingly. "Until you admit that my magical powers are real, you will remain as you now are: naked upon my stage."

Eva turned and ran into the wings. At least backstage there would be fewer people to see her. She dashed off, exiting stage right -

And entered, stage left. This was even harder for Eva's rational mind to process. The audience were delighted, of course.

Frantic as a trapped animal, Eva took off running and leaped outward, hoping to clear the orchestra pit. Her lack of physical fitness betrayed her in this hope: she would have come down among the brass section in a tremendous clatter and quite possibly gotten her head stuck in the bell of the subcontrabass tuba, except that after she had flown about six feet she was stopped in midair as though by an invisible wall of gutta percha, and then flung backward to land on her plush, flabby bottom.

Standing to face the wizard, her mouth opened but he calmly repeated, "You shall remain upon my stage, and remain in an Edenic state, until you admit that I am no mere trickster, but a true worker of magic."

More coins, including a half-crown, landed on the stage. A coarse voice from the audience called, "Hey, darlin', if you're gonna stand up there naked, why not do a dance for us?"