Magic tricks

You don't know what hit you except, that in that moment you suddenly remembered a passion you had as a kid. And then it was all you could think about! That wasn't very helpful. Probably because when you're told about a magic coin, then the only thing in your head at all is magic. All kind of magic, real or fake. You were obsessed as a kid.

None of the more sensible options ever wormed their way into your mind. Talents that would immediately come in handy in your job hunt? Pushed from your mind. In its place were top hats, card tricks, vanishing people...

Wait.

You thought to one of the biggest stage magic tricks used in some of the larger productions: one person gets into a box, some magic words are said, a new person gets out. The boxes have gotten smaller and smaller, mostly because the technology had improved for false panels and places for contortionists to hide to complete the illusion. But with this coin...

You wouldn't need a special box. You could perform a trick that other magicians will consider to be impossible, because, well... in the stage magic world, it was. You just need to turn the coin over while in the box, or behind a curtain, or something else, maybe do a quick-change to get into a new costume, and that alone would astound people!

You blurted it out, since you had no other train of thought now but the one you were riding all the way to the station.

"I want to be talented at performing magic tricks! I've never been able to do one."

Emilia seemed amused, like you could have just asked to be talented at actual magic, just like what the coin seemingly contained, if you had worded things just a little differently. But that thought hadn't really occurred to you, since you still weren't even sure you believed any of this is real. Of course, wishing for a talent to be magically gifted to you if you didn't believe in the magic itself was a bit illogical, and...

Did the coin glow a little bit?

"An interesting choice, Jane," Emilia said. "My assistant Alice will fetch a deck of cards for you to get a taste of what you can do. However, you need to do one more thing. That coin must be flipped in order to activate and charge the magic, onto a solid non-human surface like this table. The more often you flip, the more talented you become. Neglect to flip for about a week, and you'll be back to what would be your baseline in the talent. It's smart to choose a talent that you have never been able to do, since if something happens to the coin you can continue leading a normal life." Something in the way Emilia said that last part made it feel like her words weren't exactly true... "Before you flip, a word of warning. You're wearing a nice dress today, I'd recommend untying the back and slipping off your shoes for this next part, just in case. I wouldn't want to see such a lovely garment ruined. Anything that you don't want potentially torn or stretched beyond repair, it would be wise to remove."

You nodded, still examining the coin in your hand. Your sky-blue dress was one of your favorites... you untied the back so the fabric wasn't taut against your waist, and removed your sneakers, which felt sufficient to you. Did Emilia think you were going to just become like this massive hulk of a person?

"Okay, here goes..." a bit of nervousness filled your stomach. Why in the world were you so readily going along with this plan, where you were going to possibly turn into a guy in front of a stranger? This was the weirdest thing you'd ever heard! And you were just going to give it a shot? You never took chances like this, you didn't even gamble on using food past its expiration date in the fridge, and you're going to take a shot at altering your entire existence?

In the midst of your little argument with yourself, you apparently tossed the coin high up in the air, and could only watch as it descends toward the table, waiting for the outcome.