A world-renowned magician got a job on a cruise ship. Before long, his dazzling shows were the highlight of each weekly voyage.
Week after week, the magician would take to the stage, captivating audiences with his mesmerizing illusions and sleight of hand.
From making objects vanish into thin air to producing bouquets of vibrant flowers from seemingly empty hats, his tricks left spectators spellbound, their eyes wide with wonder.
However, unbeknownst to the magician, one particularly observant viewer had been studying his every move, cataloging the secrets behind each carefully choreographed trick – the captain’s beloved parrot.
This feathered companion had a sharp intellect that rivaled that of any human.
As the weeks rolled by, the parrot’s understanding of the magician’s craft deepened, and it soon became a game of sorts for the mischievous bird to shout out the secrets during the midst of each performance.
“Look, it’s not the same hat!” the parrot would squawk.
The next trick, the parrot would once again give up the trick:
“Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table,” it would caw, drawing attention to the magician’s carefully hidden bouquets.
When the magician got to his card tricks, the parrot would give up the whole trick:
“Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades?” the parrot would screech, exposing the magician’s sleight of hand with a flurry of ruffled feathers.
The magician, his face flushed with fury, found himself powerless to silence the feathered heckler, for it was, after all, the captain’s beloved pet.
Week after week, the parrot’s antics continued, much to the amusement of the audience and the growing frustration of the beleaguered performer.
Then, one fateful day, disaster struck. A freak accident caused the ship to sink, plunging the magician and the parrot into the ocean.
By some twist of fate, the two unlikely companions found themselves adrift on a piece of weathered driftwood, their only refuge in the endless expanse of water.
As the days turned into weeks, the castaway magician and the parrot stared at one another with a simmering hatred, their shared animosity fueled by the memories of their tumultuous past.
Yet, neither uttered a word, their silence punctuated only by the gentle lap of the waves and the distant cries of seabirds.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the parrot broke the silence, its voice raspy from disuse:
“Okay, I give up,” it conceded, its beady eyes fixed on the magician. “Where the heck is the boat?”
