OOPS!! It's Magic!

Marcus Romaine is standing in the snow, looking around at a completely smooth, snow-covered field. He looked around, literally all the way around, and was dumbfounded. "Is that water?" he said, as he stood there, he sees police cars, or more realistically, he hears police cars, and they are getting closer.

Realization and feeling are starting to set in; it is cold. He looks down and sees he is up to his ankles in snow. He also notices that he is nude. Not even underwear. The temperature is starting to take its toll on his body, and he begins to shiver.

Three squad cars pull up to him and stop in the parking area just off the beach of the lake. Black SUV’s with Orange markings on the doors. Too far to read.

“Lake?” He said out loud, “What lake? Snow in Las Vegas? What the hell is happening?”

Five police officers approach him, and he realizes that there are no footprints. The snow is completely smooth. The only marks they can see are the footprints as he turned in a circle to look around, noticing the lake. But what lake is this where there is snow?

The officers approach: two women and three men. Two of the women are carrying blankets. “Thank god!” he said out loud. They wrap him in the blankets, and he immediately feels the warmth.

“Sir! Are you ok?” One of the female officers asked.

Marcus responded, “I have no idea. Where am I?”

A male officer said, “Sir! You are on Breakers Beach.”

“Breakers Beach!” Marcus said, “How far outside of the Las Vegas Strip is it to have snow?”

The other policewoman said, “Breakers Beach is on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.”

“MICHIGAN! How the hell did I get here?” Marcus said.

“Sir,” The taller cop asks, “Where do you think you are?”

“Las Vegas, Linq hotel. My wife and I are at a magic show, and I volunteered to be used on stage. He put me into a box and the next thing I knew I was standing here, naked, in the snow on this beach.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No, that is exactly what happened. Can one of you call my wife?”

He told them the cell number, and the first woman called.

“Yes, Ma’am. This is Deputy Sheriff Harriett Marlowe of the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office. Did you misplace your husband?” She said, almost laughing. Marcus chuckled.

She put it on speakerphone.

“I did, about an hour ago; he went up on stage to be put into a box and made to disappear. The magician put Marc in the box, latched the door, then covered the box with a sheet. He spun the box all the way around, they removed the sheet, opened the box, and Marc was gone. He closed the box again and spun it the other direction and reopened the box, and all that was in there was his clothes.”

She asked, “Sir, what do you remember?”

“Marge and I went to the show after a really nice dinner. We sat there in the front row; I paid dearly for those seats, and it was a phenomenal show. The man is fantastic as a magician or illusionist. Anyway, he looked at me and asked if I would like to assist him with the last illusion of the show, and I jumped at the chance. As I walked on stage, his assistant met me, and we walked arm in arm to the box. She did tell me there was nothing I needed to know; all I had to do was stand there, and the illusion would take care of itself. I got into the box, and the interior of the box began to glow with the oddest shade of light, a cross between green and amber. The next thing I knew, I was standing here and heard your sirens coming up to me.”

“Hi,” His wife laughed, “So, am I to understand that you are standing on a beach in upper Michigan, naked, standing in front of a nice young lady?”

“Believe me,” He said, “It is cold here, and I am standing in the snow. She did give me a blanket to wrap up in. But the odd part is that before the cops showed up, I looked around. I’m standing in six inches of snow, and there are no footprints around me at all. Like I just appeared here.”

“Yeah, right?” His wife said.

The tall male cop said, “No, Ma’am, he is telling the truth. I noticed there was maybe 60 feet of beach to the water, completely snow-covered and smooth, as if the snow had just fallen there. We have not had snow since very early this morning. The only place with any footprints is the exact spot where he was standing. There is no way he could have gotten to where he is; it is not possible.”

“Then what happened?” Marcus asked.

“Marge, what did the magician do when the box opened, and there were only clothes?”

“He ended the show, and I just sat there, waiting for Marc to come out from backstage. He never did. An assistant brought out a bag containing his clothes, wallet, and phone and handed it to me. I asked her where my husband was; her answer was odd. She said he was trapped in one of the Earth’s magic veins and hoped he would emerge somewhere. Then she walked away.”

The other officer asked, “Where are you right now, Ma’am?”

“I am sitting in a conference room with the magician and the general manager of the hotel.

“So how did you end up here?” The cop said to Marcus rhetorically.

“I may be able to shed some light on that,” The magician volunteered. “It seems that on specific days or, in this case, nights, of a given century, my family lineage shows itself and what I think happens. In this case, when Marcus stepped into the box, I saw a Michigan symbol on his lapel. In my youth, I saw a similar symbol at that exact camping area on that exact beach. I am just very happy you were not also transported in time.”

The officer standing with Marc said, “Wait, am I to understand that you really can do magic?”

“Not all the time, but if the conditions are right, yes. This has happened once before, and the poor volunteer ended up in another country, naked. We managed to get him safely back to his home country, which was England.”

“Where did he start from?” Marc asked.

“Australia.”

There was silence. And the group, in both locations, had no idea what to ask next.

Marcus finally spoke, “So, how do I get home?”

The magician said, “If anyone there can purchase you an air ticket and some clothing, I will reimburse you twice what you pay. By the way, I would also really love to have a copy of the police report.”

The tall male officer spoke, “This is not going into a report. At least not like it happened. We were told there was a bright flash, and three cars were dispatched. When we arrived, we found a man on the beach whose car had died in the parking lot, and he lit a fire to stay warm. We assisted him and got him on his way, put out the fire, and the end of the story.”

He paused a moment. “Anything else and they will put us all into a padded room.”

The female officer, Harriett, said, “I have a credit card I can put it all on for him to get him home. But the issue is getting through security. TSA is not your friend.”

The male officer said, “I can get him to the gate, no problem. But let’s say if I get caught, life would not be great. He will need clothes also, and we are about the same size, so consider it done.”

“So we are all set. Give Marcus all your names and addresses, and I will reimburse you with a check from this hotel.” The general manager added.

The general manager looked at the magician and asked, “Is there any way to determine if this will happen on a given day?”

The magician replied, “There is now. I saw the sign as he was entering the box. There was a glow in the box, a greenish amber as he mentioned. So, if I see that glow, I will end the show from now on. It has always been the last illusion so far, so one less will not make a difference.”

The magician spoke, “Sir, Mr. Romainne, I will express ship your wallet and phone to you. Also, I looked up flights from where you are to your wife, and the next flight is at 7:31 AM in two days from Marquette. If you can spend the night somewhere, this can all be resolved quickly and easily.”

“Not to mention quietly, right?” The other female officer, Sgt. Marlowe said.

Marcus realized that, “Wait a minute. You are both Marlowe?”

“Yes, Sir. We are married, and today is a rarity: we are both on shift. I am covering for a friend whose son is in a hockey tournament tomorrow. I am Kimberly, by the way.”

“Well, take me to a hotel, please, and we can give you the address to send my wallet and phone overnight.”

Harriett said, “The Model Towne Inn in Gwinn, Michigan, is a great place. Nice rooms, breakfast is ok, but not awesome. They do offer rides to the airport at no cost. By the way, the airport is about 6 miles away. The owner is my uncle, so there is no issue with ID or payment. I will think of a way to explain it to him.”

“Harriett and I are riding together today,” The tall officer said. My name is Keer Knight. After we get you squared away in your hotel, we can grab a bite at the Gwinn Inn. I do like that place, excellent pizza, and the beer is smooth. I’m on duty, but you, well, may require an adult beverage.” He grinned, “Never in my life did I ever expect that science fiction would infiltrate my reality.” He shook his head, “Let’s get you some clothes and to the hotel.”

The sound from the speakerphone made them all jump.

“I got the address. You should have your ID and phone before 10 AM. Officers, there will be a reimbursement check in there for your assistance. I am marking it as a refund to keep it out of the public eye. An officer accepting a check may look odd to some people. But a refund from a hotel, well, call it a vacation you had to cancel. By the way, I need all of your contact information. For this, you get a special rate for a week at the resort.”

They talked for a few more minutes and headed for the cars.

Marcus said, “Wait! I think I know this place. I was stationed at KI Sawyer in the 70s, lived on VooDoo Hill.”

Kimberly said, “I wonder if since both you and the magician had a connection to this area, maybe that’s why you ended up here.”

Keer said, “Either way, you’ll be home in a few days, and the five of us have a great story we can tell.

The car doors were all closed, and they headed to town. After they left, the place where Marcus appeared began to glow again. It was an odd color, a cross between green and amber.