The magician's hands fluttered like birds as he finished his last trick.
The crowd clapped, tossing a few coins into a bowl in front of him.
He bowed deeply, his grin wide and theatrical, then straightened as he cast his eyes over the gathering.
The magician puffed out his chest and clapped his hands for attention. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, for my grandest feat yet, I require a volunteer!"
A ripple of excitement passed through the little crowd. His eyes landed on a girl near the front, a shy one, pushed forward by her friends. She protested softly, but the magician swept her toward the center with a flourish.
She jumped, startled, but her friends nudged her forward. "Yes, don't be shy. Every wonder needs a brave soul to test it."
Sonder was startled for a moment, thinking he was pointing at her, and for now, she wanted to keep a low profile.
The girl was perhaps a few years older than Sonder, dressed plainly, her hands fidgeting nervously as she stood before the magician.
"A perfect assistant!" the magician declared, setting a simple wooden chair in the middle of the circle. "Now, my dear, have a seat. Today, you shall defy the very weight of the earth itself!"
The girl sat down stiffly, eyes darting between the crowd and the performer.
The magician waved his hands in elaborate circles, muttering gibberish words that sounded like nonsense even to the crowd. He grunted, strained, then stepped back and gave the chair a sharp tug at the legs.
Nothing happened.
The girl remained planted on the ground, as solid as ever.
A few chuckles rippled through the onlookers. Someone muttered, "It's not working."
The magician's smile flickered, a bead of sweat forming at his brow. He tried again, grunting, stomping, and waving his arms, but the chair stubbornly refused to move.
The girl looked lost, uncertain whether to laugh or shrug.
From the back, Sonder watched. She didn't want to see him fail, but something must have gone wrong with the trick.
Quietly, she reached out, just a thin and unseen thread. Moving things from a distance was simple magic. She didn't practice it often, but she knew it well enough to help.
The chair groaned faintly, and then, with a sudden smoothness, it rose.
The girl let out a startled yelp as the chair floated half a man's height into the air. The crowd gasped and fell silent.
It rose all the way above their heads.
The magician staggered back a step, his eyes wide, then, catching himself, he flung out his arms. "Behold! The weight of the world undone!"
The chair drifted gently in the air, steady as if on an invisible platform. The girl clutched the seat but then laughed nervously as the crowd erupted in cheers. Children pointed and squealed; a few clapped so hard their palms stung.
Sonder slowly let the chair sink back to the ground. The girl touched her feet to the dirt again, her relief plain. The magician swept into a deep bow, cloak swishing.
"Let it be known," he boomed, "that no force can resist the will of a true magician!"
Coins clattered generously into his bowl.
The girl hurried back to her friends, her cheeks flushed with color, and the magician soaked in the adoration of the crowd.
Sonder lowered her hand and slipped away. She smiled.