That was the only thing that rung in Bill's mind as the door was closed on him. The cold look on Henry's face as he asked about some so and so unnerved him greatly. But by the time he found his voice to scream bloody murder, unbeknownst to him he was surrounded by soundproof walls. Terrified at the fact that no one seems to care for his life, Bill tried to struggle out of the death trap he was in.

The fit of the box was so snug that not even an ant could crawl along his side. This, in turn, raised his suspicions on his imminent mortality. How did this person know about his accurate measurements? But as the precious few seconds trickled down, Bill hedged all his bets on the fact that this was all a trick and no one in their right mind would kill someone in public while he settled in to pray for deliverance, in case life had dealt him a bad hand, as it usually does.

As he silently sobbed a prayer, his mind was filled with conflicting emotions of love and fear. In the long second between life and death, Bill was reminded of the happy and complicated life he had before it all went to shit. While he mouthed the lines of the prayers he could still remember, his mind was full of thoughts of his wife, thinking

"Delilah, sweet Delilah! She stood by me throughout the horrible aftermath of the trip he just took in memory's lane. During the trial and after I was kicked out of the school, Delilah stayed by me and gave me comfort. It was lucky I wasn't charged and everything was pushed under the rug, although I suspect my father had everything to do with it. They declared that it was an accident and he fell losing his balance. His parents and rest of the losers were outraged, but that was the truth, wasn't it? I even tried to help the poor idiot, didn't I? If it wasn't for my broken hand I would have saved him. They had to be thankful for me instead, they chose to threaten me. In the courthouse!

The weird kid got all worked up when the not guilty verdict was issued that he stood up and bellowed "I will kill you in front of everyone and no one will be able to do a thing. I will get away with it, just like you did. But unlike the murder you committed, it will be justice. You will see! I am not lying". But before he did anything, his parents moved away with him and peace returned. My father, while adopting a caring father persona for the public, became even more of a monster at home. But still, he managed to get me a job so that I could marry Delilah and move away. We had such a happy family. My three babies! Such nice children. But soon, I lost my job and Delilah divorced me and took away the kids and the house. Now someone is probably trying to kill me. IS IT HIM....?" and blades dug into his flesh, drawing blood.

"OH MY GOD! He's dead", the man who just walked on stage to confirm the killing. The machine had let the hand that was signed hang out, which was studied for a pulse by the curious and bolder members of the audience. Henry sighed. A few members of the audience fainted when pushed the swords through the box and many others followed as the blades drawn out were stained red. As it set in everyone's mind that the person was really dead, the stage was cleared for the magician and his act.

Henry said, "Whew, thank god there are no phone's here or the 911 center would have been blown to bits from the call!" No one laughed at the joke. Seeking to recreate the atmosphere, he announced, "Now is the most interesting part of the magic. Hear carefully as I utter the sacred words that bring the soul back from heaven to the body that it left behind" The audience were captivated with rapt attention.

"Mmmmm..... ripuy .... ripuykuy .... ", he uttered a random mumble of words that was too fast to catch and waved his wand over the death box. As he turned to the audience, the stage was overwhelmed by flashes and bangs. When all the dust settled, Henry was on the stage smiling along with the box that looked the same.

The captivated audience looked from the edge of their seats waiting for the miracle to unfold. Henry, looking extremely proud of himself announced, "Ladies and gentlemen! A magician never lies! I deliver what I say! Coming back in the flash, I give you our old pal, Bill!".

And from the smoke, a figure stepped forward.

"How do you feel Bill, my man?", Henry asked jovially, "How did the afterlife treat you?"

The resurrected Bill stood there silently. Some of the more imaginative members of the audience began to dream up the zombocalypse and started shrieking, "ZOMBIE! ZOMBIE!".

But all that disturbance quieted down as the revived Bill, moved forward as though in a daze, looking a dash more pale than before, before stopping right at the edge of the stage and looked to left and right while stretching arms and feet as if he had awoken from a long slumber.

"The afterlife .... mmmm...", the resuscitated Bill said as he finally spoke, "It felt like a long dream that was long overdue. Feelings, overwhelming feelings washed over me, all that I have felt in my life till now. I feel like it has given me a new outlook on life, a new reason to look forward to every day. I feel .... more alive"

"And that my friends", Henry spoke to the audience in a standing ovation, "is The Deadly Trick."