said with a devilish grin. And he begins tickling Kit’s chin and Kit started laughing loudly.

“No, Chris—Ha, ha, ha, ha! Stop it, I can’t—Heh, heh, heh—stand being tickled! Ha, ha, ha, ha! Please stop—ha, ha, ha, ha—I’d rather do the algebra!”

“Sorry, Kit,” Chris said slyly. “But this is my revenge for the crab attack.”

“Ooh, that looks like fun.” Melissa said, and she started tickling the feet sticking out of her half of the box and Kit started laughing some more, despite the fact that his legs were currently disconnected with his body.

“Ha, ha, ha, ha—stop it!” Kit yelled out. “I’m gonna—ha, ha, ha, ha—crack a rib!”

Chris and Melissa tickle tortured poor Kit for at least thirty seconds before they quit and begin pushing the box around the stage    

Melissa and Chris pushed both boxes in opposite directions, circled each other before putting them back together.

“And now I will put Kit back together.” Melissa announced, and she started pulling out the boards that separated Kit from his legs.

Thanks goodness! Kit sighed in relief     

Melissa pulled the two mirror-like boards out, opened the lid of the box and Kit climbed out, completely whole.

 In the audience, Baloo sighed deeply, looking relieved that Kit was okay.

“See? I told you he’d be fine.” Rebecca said slyly, looking sideway at Baloo, who was sitting there, slightly dumbfounded at the trick he just saw. It all seems so real to Baloo.

“Yeah, yeah,” Baloo grumbled. “Sorry Beckers, I guess you sister does know what she’s doing after all.”

“Heh-heh.” Rebecca laughed. “Don’t worry, Baloo. Of course she does, and besides, I had the privilege of seeing Jeffery go through his first time at that trick, so I knew what was in store for Kit. It was partly my idea.” She added slyly.

“Huh? Wha—?” Baloo asked distractedly, “Sawing my best friend, son and navigator in half was partly your idea?!” he asked, looking slightly mad. “Well gee, thanks for the near heart attack ya gave me with another one of yer crazy ideas, Becky.” He added sarcastically.

“Ha-ha, yes.” Rebecca replied, laughing behind her hand and ignoring Baloo’s insult to her brilliant ideas. “I wanted to test to see if you were still able to help the boys in a bad situation.”

“Oh, ha-ha, very funny, boss lady.” Baloo said sarcastically.  “Ya know, you and that mad doctor of a sister over there could have told me it was a trick before I got worked up. I thought my son had just become sliced cheese under that saw.” He looked toward the stage at Melissa. “Nice trick Melissa! Sorry I doubted you!”

“Oh Baloo!” Rebecca hissed, tugging on his arm. “You’re embarrassing us again!”

“Good,” Baloo said slyly with a gain. “Maybe a little embarrassment will teach ya not to give ol’ Baloo a heart attack like that again. HEY MELISSA, DON’T FORGET TO SAW BECKY IN HALF TOO!” he yelled loud and clear toward the stage. “OR BETTER YET, MAKE HER DISAPPEAR!”

 Now everyone was staring at them, Rebecca glanced around at the staring crowd and blushing a deep shade of red at all the attention.

“I hate you…” Rebecca said in a low voice, glowering at Baloo.

Melissa ended the show with a spectacular display of fireworks exploding from the end of her wand, and then there was a loud BANG and a flock of doves came flying out from the wand’s tip.     

Everyone in the audience stood up and applauded loudly while Melissa and the Cloudkicker twins joined hands and bowed before the crowd together just as Jeffery came walking back on stage from behind the curtains.

“Aww,” he said, sounding disappointed but looking sly. “I missed all the fun.”

“Yeah,” Chris said, turning to Jeffery as the curtains lowered down to hide them from view of the crowd. “I was going to take turns with you tickling Kit while he was in the box.”

“Oh, no worries, Chris.” Jeffery said with a grin. “I can tickle him any old time, but… ” He suddenly pounced on Chris, knocking him backward onto his back and then Jeffery sat on his stomach. “…I wonder how ticklish you are.” And he begins to attack Chris’ ribs and armpits while Chris howled and screamed with laugher.

“Mind if I join you?”

Jeffery looked over his shoulder to see Kit standing behind him with a vengeful smirk on his face.

“Not at all, cuz, help yourself.” Jeffery said before he resumed tickle torturing poor Chris.

“NO! Please stop, don’t tickle me anymore!” Chris screamed, but his pleas fell on deaf ears as Jeffery kept on tickling him. 

Kit positioned himself on top of Chris’ legs, grasped his brother’s ankle and begins tickling the bottom of Chris’ foot. Chris shirked with laugher as Kit added to his tickle torture.

“Alright you two, that’s enough.” Rebecca appeared onstage; behind her was Baloo, who was watching the three bear cubs with an amused expression. “Let him breathe before he burst.”’

“Yes ma’am.” Jeffery said as he stopped tickling Chris and got up off of him, as did Kit.

Chris lay there, curled up, gasping and panting for breaths. Baloo went over and scooped Chris up off the floor and into his arms.

“You alright, Chris?” Baloo asked, pressing the young bear cub to his chest, massaging the back of Chris’ head.

“Yes!” Chris gasped, still panting. “Give me a minute to catch my breath.”

Baloo held Chris in his arms as Chris was taking several deep breaths, until finally his breathing became steady. Even then, Baloo didn’t put him down, he seems to like holding Chris in his arms and Chris seems to like being held by the large pilot. Chris rested his head on Baloo’s chest and snuggled up in his arms.

“You two gotta careful with him,” Baloo said to Jeffery and Kit. “Don’t tickle him so much at a time; it might hurt his lungs and his ribs.”  

Both Jeffery and Kit looked down at their feet. “Sorry,” they said together.

A few minutes passed and Chris showed no sign in wanting to be let down. Melissa walked up to Baloo and Chris, cupping Chris’ furry cheek.

“Are you going to be alright, Chris?” she asked in concern.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Chris said with a smile, leaning slightly forward in Baloo’s arms, he hugged his Aunt around the neck.

“That’s good, Chris,” Melissa said happily with a smile, hugging her new nephew back.

“I’m sorry, Chris,” Jeffery apologized. “I should have been easier on you; I didn't realize you and Kit were as ticklish as I am…” He froze, having just realized what he had said.
 Oops! Jeffery thought in despair. Why did I just go and say that for?! Oh man, now they’ll get back at me and I’ll get it one hundred percent worse! I guess it is as the old saying goes: ‘what goes around, comes around.’

“Okay kids, gather ‘round.” Rebecca said playfully. “Your Aunt Melissa has another surprise for you.”

Baloo put Chris down to stand between Kit and Jeffery as they looked at Rebecca with the expression of awe on their faces.

“Another surprise?!” exclaimed Jeffery, Kit and Chris in unison.

Although Jeffery already knew what the surprise is, he pretend otherwise so to make surprising his two cousins more fun.

“Yes!” Melissa exclaimed, this time talking more to Kit and Chris, who were standing there awestruck at the mention of another surprise from their aunt. “Boys, me and your Mom talked on the phone, and me and Jeffery would like to add our assistance in teaching you the ins and outs of magic. So from this day forth, we’re both your personal teachers. But as a second surprise, I asked if I could do one more thing special for you two, my favorite nephews.” Melissa said but stated to act forgetful. “Now what was it?” she paused thinking a minute.

Rebecca whispered in her ear reminding her of the second surprise as Kit and Chris started taking their assistant’s outfits off.

“Lemme help you with that.” Jeffery said, stepping behind them and pulling their zippers down.

“I guess we should return these to you, Aunt Melissa?” Kit asked as he stepped out his outfit and held it out to give it back to her.

Chris was being a bit more reluctant, he likes these uniforms and thought they’d make comfortable pajamas.

“Aww, do we have to, Kit?” Chris pouted as he asked “I kinda like mine.”

“Chris, it’s okay.”  Kit said, comforting Chris. “We’re not Aunt Melissa’s assistants normally, but I’m sure she’d want us to be.”

“Aww man!” Chris pouted, but hugging his uniform to his chest and looking like he was not about to give up on keeping it.

“Oh! That was it!” Melissa shouted, slamming a fist to her palm as the memory came back to her. “No, no, boys, those junior assistant outfits are yours, and there’s a reason for that.” she said with a smile. “My favorite nephews, my second surprise is this: Not only are me and Jeffery going to teach you magic, but also you get to be my official second and third assistants, starting tonight. But since school