rush.

“What did you say, sweetie?” asked Rebecca, she too looked concerned as she place a comforting hand on Chris’ cheek, giving it a gentle rub.

 Chris closed his eyes lazily, feeling himself relaxing to Rebecca’s touch. Rebecca smiled as she lifted Chris out of Baloo’s arms to hold him herself.

Chris wrapped his arms around her neck as she massaged the back of his head. It felt nice to be held, comforted and loved, as though by a mother.

“It’s okay, Chris,” Rebecca said soothingly, “Now, can you say that again? – More slowly this time?”

“I’m afraid of heights,” he whimpered in her ear.

“Oh, you mean you’re acrophobic?”

Chris nodded his head against her shoulder in reply. 

 Rebecca glanced at Baloo for help. Baloo thought for a moment before giving his opinion on the matter.

“Well, we could blindfold him, if that doesn’t work, I could fly low…”

Rebecca shifted Chris so that she was holding him with her right arm, looking at her watch on her left wrist.

“It’s two-thirty, Baloo,” she said. “Why don’t we wait a little while before we coax Chris into flying home with us?

“Sure Becky,” Baloo agreed. “But what’re we gonna do in the meantime? We can’t just stand out here all day.”

Rebecca gently set Chris down on his feet before looking thoughtfully at Baloo.

“I’ve heard this town has a magic show that starts at three this afternoon,” she said. “We could go to that…”

Molly suddenly got excited. “Yeah, Mommy, let’s go!”  

“Sure, sweetie. Rebecca said gently. Oh wait, I forgot to ask what the boys think. “Kit, Chris, what do you think, wanna go?” she asked.
 “Sure, that sounds great.” Kit replied.

“YEAH!” Chris shouted, looking so excited. “That sounds so neat! I’ve never seen a magic show before. Oh, I’m so excited!”

Later that afternoon, in the town square, there was in fact a show being set up by a local magician and his lovely assistant.

Rebecca bought the tickets AND the popcorn and soda for five, as if she had a choice… Baloo was nearly always broke, so it was up to her to pay for the snacks and drinks as well.

Ooh, sometimes I just want to strangle that bear… she thought darkly as she paid for HIS large soda and bucket of popcorn and a hotdog.

Chris was looking so overexcited like his new sister, Molly was.

“Kit?” Chris asked.

“Yeah?” Kit responded as he found his seat and sat down, his soda and small box of popcorn in his hands.

“Have you ever seen a magic show before?” Chris asked, sitting down next to his brother and cramming a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

Kit paused and thought for a moment, trying to think whether he had or not.

“No…I don’t think so…” Kit replied. “If I had, I was really young and don’t remember. But I hear they’re really neat.”

Rebecca then interrupted the boys, saying. “Chris, I think you will have great time being part of the family. I already feel that in my heart.”

She sat down next to Chris with Baloo sitting on her other side and Molly sat on her lap.

Chris slightly blushes, giving Rebecca a hug over the armrest of his seat.

“They’re about to start,” Baloo said before cramming a whole hotdog into his mouth. Rebecca glared daggers at Baloo for his lack of manners, which went on unnoticed by the large pilot. 

Just then, the magician, a medium suture panda bear dressed in a black and green suit with a white undershirt came on stage.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to my show! I'm glad you all came out to this very exciting magic show!” yelled the panda magician to the crowd. “My name is Ping, the Great! And this is my lovely assistant… Grace!”  Ping pulled out his magic wand, making it appear as if came from thin air into his hand.

Chris, who was watching very intensely, exclaimed: “Wow! Did you see that, Kit? Wow! That’s so neat! I wonder how he did that?” he asked, still overexcited.

“I don’t know Chris,” Kit replied, “but that sure was neat! But, there has to be a catch...” But what, Kit thought.

Chris claps loudly in amazement as the panda wave a starry sheet in front of his assistant, making her disappear and then reappear with another wave of the sheet.

“WOW!” Chris shouted, clapping wildly. “That’s the most amazing thing I ever seen in my life! Kit, can you do anything like that?”

“Of course he can!”  Molly said before her brother could speak.

“Uh yeah, sure bro.” Kit laughed.

“That’s cool,” Chris said as they watch the magician on stage pulled a rabbit out of his top hat.

 “Aww, cute rabbit!” cooed Molly, watching the bunny more than the magician. Rebecca and Baloo look at her and smile.

“Now Molly,” Rebecca said. “You can’t have the bunny, but yes, he is cute.”

Chris was on the edge of his seat, looking over at the magician, wondering what trick he had in mind next.

The panda magician, Ping said: “I have a special one for you now, ladies and gentlemen. As you can see, there is nothing up my sleeves and nothing in my hands... Now, watch closely.” He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a long rainbow colored scarf, it was so long that it took him a full minute to reach the end of it and pull it out of his sleeve.

He then took out his wand, pointed it high over the audience and said the magic word: “Abracadabra!” There was a bang and a shower of confetti burst out from the wand’s tip and flew over the audience.   

In the audience, Molly laughed cutely at the words with a giggle and a smile, even as she and her brothers were being showered with the confetti.

Ping gave his wand a flick and it transformed itself into a bouquet of flowers, saying: “Ta-da, a set of beautiful flowers for a pretty lady.”  Bending down, he gave the flowers to Molly for her cute laugh.

Molly giggles and thanked him. Chris was totally awestruck by all this.

“Kit!” he shouted, “This is so neat! Thank you Mom and Dad, for bringing me! If you really can do magic, please show me some! I want to know how it all works, like how did he do that flower trick, how did he pull the rabbit from his hat? And all the other tricks.”

Chris overly excited, asked his brother over and over, how did he do this, how did he do that, it was almost like he was hyper from too much sugar or something.
 Kit was at a loss, he really didn’t know how it was done. Some of ‘em looks like simple stuff I’ve done. I guess I can show Chris a few of ‘em … he thought.

“Now for my final trick, I will make my lovely assistant levitate!” Ping said.

He lays his assistant (also a panda bear) on a table and covered her with a magic sheet. Chris looks on carefully to see how it was done, but he could not see anything out of the ordinary.

Ping waved his wand over his assistant, using a rising motion with his hand and his assistance rose a foot from the table and hovered there.

“As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, she is actually floating above the table.” Ping the magician said. “Now watch carefully!

Now Chris was practically on the edge of his seat in excitement.

Ping then passes a hoop around and over his assistant, completely passing around her.
 Chris grinned broadly and clapped wildly, whistling in his appreciation of the trick and the show he had just enjoyed so much.

Kit and Molly look at their brother in amazement, seeing he wasn’t as timed as they thought.

“Chris, you okay bro?” Kit asked, “It’s just a trick. And I think you’ve had a little too much soda…” he added, gently taking the soda bottle out of Chris’ hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Chris replied smiling, not caring that his brother just took away his root beer. “I just love this show so much.”

Ping the magician was saying his good-byes and thanking the crowd, saying:

“You’re too kind, you’re too kind!” he said, bowing with his assistant and then. He bent down to face Chris, who was sitting in the front row, and said: “Hey kid, I think you got something in your ear.”

“I do?” Chris said, looking surprised and confused.

“Yes, you do.” Ping said. He reached behind Chris’ ear and withdrew a quarter. “See?” and he gave it to Chris to keep. “Buy yourself a gumball, kid.”
This little gesture put Chris’ excitement for magic into full swing.

“Wow, thank you, Ping.” Chris said in awe, accepting the quarter and gazing at it as if it were some fabulous treasure. Turning to his brother, he said: “Kit, you have to show me some tricks sometime, I want to do magic too!”

“Well now, that sounds like a great idea.” said Baloo, watching his two sons having fun and talking as if they had never been apart.

“How cute, Chris,” Rebecca said, smiling in amusement. “I’m sure you and your brother would be great at magic.” She said encouragingly.

“Kit, whaddya say, bro, can you teach me, please?” Chris asked insistently with a cute puppy-dog look. “And yes, I loved the show, Mom, thanks for asking.”

“Sure,” Kit replied. “I’ll do what I