Jeffery whined, batting her hand away from his hair. “You’re messing my hair up and I had it nice and neat for the show tonight.”

“Oh sorry, dear, I guess old habits are hard to break.” Melissa said, pinching Jeffery’s cheek, which caused him to blush, before turning her attention back to her nephews. “How bout you read your tickets? Go on, there’s a nice surprise on them.”

“You never run out of surprises, do you?” Kit remarked, grinning.

Melissa laughed and said: “No, I guess not. But then again, a magician is rarely out of surprises. Now hurry up and read your tickets!” she urged them.

Both Kit and Chris did so and it said in Melissa’s handwriting:

             This ticket permits you, Kit and Chris, my nephews

             To be honorary assistant in my show tonight.
            So be listening for me to call you up.
            And as a special gift, you will be dressed-up as assistant

           In the trick. See Jeffery after I call you on stage for you outfits.


“Wow!” Chris yelled, jumping for joy like he had too much sugar again,
saying: Thank you, thank you Aunt Melissa! That’s so awesome!”

“I though you would like that, Chris.” Melissa said with smile, massaging Chris’ ear gently. “Oh Kit, what’s wrong?” she asked, noticing the nervous look on Kit’s face. “Don’t you want to help out too?” she finished putting on her tux and top hat.

“Nothing, Aunt Melissa, I love it!” Kit said earnestly. “But what are you going to do to me? I see I’m listed as main assistant, right?”

“Oh yes, Kit,” smiled Melissa. “Don't worry, you’ll love it. But it’s still a surprise.”

“Okay,” Kit said as Jeffery was jumping up and down with Chris, both happy to be working together and having met each other. Kit observed his brother and cousin for a moment, even though they were not blood relatives, he still couldn’t help but wondering if being hyperactive due to even a small amount of excitement runs in the family…    

“Hey, hey, attention please.” Rebecca called out, interrupting the happy meeting. “That’s better, sorry,” she laughs happy to see her sons happy. “Hey, I have an idea, let’s get a picture of everyone together for a family picture,” she suggested. “So we can remember this moment.”

“Sure!” everyone agreed as they got together, from the tallest to the shortest.

As the stage manger came bustling over, he stopped and offered to take picture for Rebecca. She agreed and handed him her camera before going to stand next to Melissa.

“Say ‘abracadabra!” Melissa said, and as they did all so, she made a shower of confetti rain over them like Ping had done the day before, but Melissa did it so differently, it was like a different trick.

Just a second away from the camera flash, Jeffery grinned mischievously as he held up two fingers behind Chris’ head.  

“Still think it’s all a trick now, Kit?” asked Chris, clapping wildly, oblivious to what Jeffery had done in the picture-taking.

“Hmm…” Kit was stumped this time. It was a trick, wasn’t? He didn't know because this was his aunt, a pro magician, not some amateur like Ping was.

Kit smiled and nodded as he tried to think of a prosper response for his brother’s question.

“Heh, okay, you got me bro. I don’t know this time.” Kit said. “Aunt Melissa, can you tell us how you did that?”

“Nope! Sorry Kit, a true magician never reveals his or her secrets.” she smiled, knowing the one she had planed for him would be one he would never figure out.

“Miss Melissa, they’re ready for you and your son,” said the stage manger who took their family picture.

“Aww, do you have to leave already, Aunt Melissa?” Chris and Kit asked in unison. “How did you do that?” they asked each other. “Do what?—Say what I say.”

Melissa laughed; they look so funny and cute asking each other the same question at exactly the same time. Jeffery was watching them with an awed look on his face.

“Sorry boys, I’ll see you on stage at the end of the show, I promise.” Melissa said, giving her favorite nephews a big hug and a kiss on their forehead.

“We’ll be watching, sis.” Rebecca said, placing a hand on Melissa’s shoulder. “Front row right?”

“Yes sis, you’ll be right in front of me for the whole show.” Melissa said before turning her attention back to her nephews. “Oh, and Rebecca?”

“Yes?” Rebecca acknowledged her.

“Just be sure to have Kit and Chris ready for me to call them on stage,” Melissa said, “so they can go change into the costume outfits I have for them backstage behind the curtain. Jeffery will help them out, so no worries there.” She then gave Kit and Chris a hug. “Also Kit?” Kit looked up at his aunt as she addressed him. “I can’t reveal the trick I'm doing on you just yet, but I hope you’ll like it."

“Gee, thanks Aunt Melissa! I’ll try, I promise.” Kit replied.

Silently, Chris was laughing behind his hand, thinking: Oh yes, this is going to be great! I can’t wait to see his face and watch him squirm…that’ll be priceless! For he knew the trick that his brother was going to be involved in…
Melissa smiled at the two bear cubs before saying: “Well, I gotta go, hope you’ll enjoy the show.”

“We will!” Kit and Chris replied in unison, there voices mixing.

As she left, Jeffery came over and hugged them both as he walked by before taking sip of water from his water bottle to stay hydrated in his assistant’s costume, but he didn’t mind it, the jump suit was his design after all.

“And don’t worry, my cousins.” Jeffery said, hugging Kit and Chris. “You have a great time, we heard you’ve seen Ping and Grace, they’re good but you’ll find that me and Mom are as well,” Jeffery said with a wink before he walked out to the stage after his mother as Kit and Chris went to take their seats.
A few minutes later, they had taken their seats and Rebecca had got refreshments (again, since Baloo’s payday was a few days away.) and sat down as the light over the audience faded and went out and a spotlight appeared on the center of the red and gold curtains. And then music and a drum roll begin to play.

“Ladies and gentleman,” said a male voice over the PA system. “please put your hands together and welcome Cape Suzette’s own, the amazing Melissa and her assistant, the equally amazing Jeffery!”

“There they are!” shouted Chris, whooping, hollering and cheering for his aunt and cousin, as did Kit.

Rebecca and Baloo looked over at the children and say to each other: “This is the best idea ever,” as they watch the kid having the time of their life.

“Thank you! thank you!” Melissa said waving her pink and lavender silver stared cape around the back of her tux and shoulders, making her wand appear with a bang in her hand as she had Jeffery bring out their first trick…

Chapter Three
Do You Believe in Magic?

Jeffery was pushing a trolley cart bearing the equipments for the first couple of magic acts toward his Mom in the center of the stage as the she was starting her introduction speech.

“Hello and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, young and old! Welcome to the show! I am the amazing Melissa, and this is my assistant! My pride and joy, my son, Jeffery! Jeffery, give the crowd a little wave.” Melissa said, looking fondly at her son.

Jeffery parked the trolley in the center of the stage and then he waved merrily at the crowd.

“Hello everybody!” he shouted happily, as if he was full of positive energy. “I’m Jeffery, the equally amazing assistant. Me and my Mom hope you enjoy our show. We really appreciate your attendance!” Jeffery said, bowing before he took a small table from the trolley and set it up, and then he lay out some magic items for the tricks on top of it.

“Ah, thank you, Jeffery dear, we can now begin.” Melissa said eagerly, picking up a tin pot with a cover over it.

In the audience, Chris looked sideways at his brother.

“Kit?” he asked.

“Yes, Chris?” Kit replied, turning his head slightly toward Chris, so that one eye was still on the stage, watching his aunt and cousin.

“I wonder what Aunt Melissa’s first trick will be? It looks neat, whatever it is.” Chris said excitedly.

“I’m not sure, Chris?” Kit replied with a smile. “I’m just as curious as you are.”
 Just then, Melissa started the trick.

“Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls! You see in my hand, an ordinary pot with a cover on it, think of it as the cookie pot.” Melissa joked.  

“Wow, cookies!” Molly shouted ecstatically.

“Now, Molly,” Rebecca said gently but firmly at the same time. “You already had a cookie today, so don’t even think of asking Aunt Melissa