As the sunny May days passed, Katie and Ildi Honeybee became close friends. Both were busy during the morning hours: Ildi was collecting nectar with her family, while Katie was looking for scrumptious treats on the sweet-smelling rose bushes. The afternoons, however, they spent playing or exploring together.
One day, Ildi Honeybee knocked on Katie’s door with excitement.
“Open up, Katie! It’s me, your friend, Ildi!”
Katie ran to the door and let her in.
“Guess what, Katie! The world famous wizard, the head magician of the Shining Star Circus is here in the Great Meadow!”
Katie listened in stunned silence, her red little face draining all of its color.
“Oh no! What shall we do?” she shrieked. “A shining lizard, a night vision, here in our meadow!”
Ildi stared at her friend in horror, then burst into laughter.
“Wizard, not lizard! And magician, not night vision! He’s a creature – well, a centipede, to be exact – who performs magic tricks to entertain the audience. He’s a master of illusion, a sleight of hand expert… And this wizard is here now, to show us his newest tricks. We simply have to go see him! There’s no admission set: you can give anything you want. I’ll be bringing a pot of honey, freshly made,” she explained in a hurry.
Katie breathed a sigh of relief.
“So he’s not dangerous… I’ll give him my newest pair of red shoes. If he is a centipede, he could probably use some extra…”
They locked the door on the little house and set out to see the magician. Cricket chirping filled the breezy, warm evening, and details of the big event were posted on every other burdock leaf. Creatures of the Great Meadow – big and small – were waiting for the show to begin at the stage constructed by Luxury Bird Nests, Inc.
Suddenly, the stage lit up, and the great magician appeared in the spotlight. Stars of gold were shining on his jet black robe, and a canary yellow feather decorated his top hat. The wizard pulled a silver cart full of handkerchiefs, balls, and colorful boxes. He was such a unique sight, that when he appeared on stage, the audience fell completely silent. Even Mrs. Harry Hamster stopped coughing.
“How can he be a centipede and a wizard at the same time? Isn’t that impossible?” Katie whispered to Ildi. “You can’t be an aphid while also being a ladybug, can you?”
Ildi angrily jabbed her finger in Katie’s side.
“Of course not, silly! He is a centipede who had to learn how to be a wizard,” she explained to Katie as fast as she could in one breath, so she would miss as little of the show as possible.
For his first trick, Cedric the Magnificent picked up a small, gold colored box. He showed it to the audience: it was clearly empty. the magician even let Ferdinand Field Mouse touch the box, to prove his point. Cedric then placed the gold box into a red sack, which he locked into a green chest. After the wave of his magic wand, the magician removed the gold box from the red sack and opened it. Presto! Out popped a pretty bouquet of roses, which he presented to Mrs. Woodpecker with a chivalrous bow.
The crowd cheered, and the magician performed his next trick: turning shredded strips of paper into the latest edition of the Great Meadow Daily News.
One illusion followed another. Everyone’s favorite was the act when the Cedric spun colorful balls on each of his legs.
On the way home, Katie and Ildi discussed what they had seen.
“You know, this magician seemed a bit silly,” giggled Katie. “But I’ll try that ball-balancing trick myself! If he can do it – I can do it! I’m going to find a school that teaches magic and apply for admission. I’m going to be Katie the Magnificent, star of the Shining Dots Mushroom House!” she flapped her wings in excitement.
Without saying a word, Ildi Honeybee just smiled at her little friend’s new ideas. And Katie, full of motivation, promised to herself that – come what may – she would become the very first ladybug magician ever.