Magical Attraction – Episode 2

Magical Attraction – Episode 2

© 2018 Kayode Odusanya

The place was an old looking bungalow, with cream colored paint job that had long faded. The guard that let him in didn’t look official in the worn-out blue jeans and brown short sleeve shirt he had on. There was a tall coconut tree in the compound that had caused cracks on the cemented floor; the cracks looked like tributaries of a big river.

After locking the gate, the man led him into the house. Unlike the outside of the house, the inside looked more modern. It had black wooden floors, three black leather sofas arranged in sort of like a semi circle form, and a black desk and chair with a white computer at the left corner of the room; the computer’s monitor was at least 24 inches. It was clear the house was recently remodeled and furnished.

The man didn’t step in, but held on to the door and urged Sesan to go in. Then he nodded at Sesan before closing the door. Alone in the living room, he looked around the place. The smell of fresh leather and wood filled the air. There were no family pictures hanging on the white walls or nothing lying around that gave it a feel of a living room, but it still was too informal to be an office. The wall unit made a sudden loud sound like it was changing temperature, and it startled Sesan. That was probably kept from before the remodeling of the place, Sesan thought.

He took a seat by the two seater couch closest to him. Just then a door to his left swung open, and an elderly man emerged from the room. “Hello.” He said in tiny voice as he approached with the vigor of a young man. He had grey afro hair, and long grey beard like the writer, Wole Soyinka. Sesan got off his seat to greet him. They shook hands, and Sesan bowed his head in greeting. The man took the seat opposite Sesan, tucked his glasses back in place, and adjusted the brown Ankara attire he had on. “This place is actually a home office.” He said. He cleared his throat before adding, “I thought it would be wise to avoid all the hassles that a real office comes with…workers, cleaners, tax, and all that.” He smiled and the smile on his face lingered longer than normal as he focused on Sesan; that and the awkward silence made Sesan feel a little uncomfortable. As if sensing this, he clasped his hands and sat up in his seat. “So…let me brief you on what you would be doing.”

“Okay sir. But, umm! Sir, aren’t you going to interview me?”

“For what? You are tall, athletic, and the age range I asked for.” He said and Sesan smiled. “I need you for what you can do for me, not what a paper qualification says you can do for me.”

“So… I’m guessing you know who Professor Peller was, right?” The man said and Sesan looked lost. “You don’t know the name Peller?”

“Umm! I only know the Peller that owns Quilox.”

“Q what? What’s that” It was the man’s turn to look lost.

“Quilox is a night club sir.”

“Oh.” The man said and laughed a little before saying, “I heard one of the late great magician’s kids was in the club business.”

“Sir…So, Shina Peller’s dad was a magician?”

“Yes; From Iseyin in Oyo state. Back in the 60s, the man was doing shows all over Lagos; Great magician. He was a great entertainer.”

“Oh. Wow! I didn’t know that.”

“Yes. So, that’s what I want to bring back to the Nigerian scene. Nigerians need some magical entertainment right now.” He said with a smile. He looked lost in thought for a few seconds, before snapping back to reality with a quick shake of the head. “I’m working on putting together a series of shows in Lagos this Christmas.”

“Okay sir.”

“Yea…we would be using venues like Muson Center and National Arts Theatre.”

“Okay sir.”

“By the way, how much do you know about magic?”

“Umm! I sometimes watch Chris Angel videos on Youtube.”

“Filmed magic tricks.” He said with disgust. “I hate them. They are the fakest.” He added and Sesan smiled. “Well, every form of magic is not real anyway; it’s just tricks. But I’m an Illusionist; a stage magician. At least people like me have the decency of doing the magic tricks in front of real people.”

“Sir. I’ve been…” Sesan started to say and stopped to clear his throat. “I’ve been meaning to ask you…Umm! So, there is no real magic?”

The man smiled at him for a long time, making him feel uncomfortable again. “There is.” He finally said. “There is real magic. And do you want to know the truth?”

“Yes sir.” Sesan said and leaned forward.

“Sesan Ogundairo, you have magical powers. You are a Magician.”

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“I’m a magician?” Sesan asked, looking puzzled. Even though he had told the man his name on the phone, he also found it strange that the man had called him by his full name.

“Yes. You are magician. I’m a magician. Your mom is a magician. Even Yusuf, the man that opened the gate for you is a magician.”

Sesan had a confused look on his face now. “Sir, I don’t understand.”

“The real magic is in you, me, and every human being alive, but we don’t harness it.” Sesan still had a lost look on his face and the man continued with, “We have the magical powers to attract whatever we focus on. What we think and feel, we attract. If that isn’t magic, then what is?”

“I think I have read that somewhere before, but sir can you explain better?”

He smiled before saying, “Proverbs 23 verse 7…As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” He let that sink in before saying, “Luke 17, verse 20…The kingdom of God is within you.”

“Hmm!”

“Everything you want is within you in the imaginary world, and when you focus on it long enough, it materializes in the physical world.”

Although this wasn’t what he had in mind when the man told him he was a magician, the whole thing was quite interesting to him and he wanted to know more. “Sir, if this theory is true, why don’t I get most of the things I think about?”

“That’s because you are thinking from a place of lack, and lack of whatever you are thinking of is what you continue to get. But when, in your imaginative state, you think and believe you already have what you want, and persist in that thought, you can get anything you want.”

“Anything?”

“Anything; I don’t care how big or unbelievable. It doesn’t even matter whether it is a stupid thing; if it makes sense to you, and fills your being, you will attract it.”

“Hmm!”

“Let’s put it to the test. What has been on your mind the most the last couple of days?”

“Umm.” He was saying then stopped to smile shyly. “Well, since you said anything, there is this girl in school I like.”

“Oh. That’s nice.” The man said with a smile and sat up in his seat. “A girl; this will be a piece of cake because love speeds up the process.”

“But…I have been thinking of the girl for a while, and haven’t gotten her.”

“That’s because you have been thinking and seeing yourself without the girl, and that is the reality you will keep having; a reality without the girl.”

“So…”

“What you have to do from now on is to imagine yourself with the girl; walking around with her, laughing and talking to her, spending time with her.”

“Okay.”

“Do this for ten minutes twice a day. Find a place where you won’t be disturbed, close your eyes and imagine spending time with her.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes. And don’t do anything other than the visualization exercises. The universe will work the magic.”

“Hmm.”

“And one more thing; don’t think of, but think from.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When you close your eyes to visualize, don’t imagine yourself looking at you and the girl spending time together. You have to visualize yourself as the ‘you’ in your imagination. You have to think from. You get?” Sesan till looked lost and the man added, “Imagine yourself in the format of a virtual reality video game where you are looking at the game world from the eyes of the main character, and not from your viewing eye.”

“Oh! I think I get it now.” Sesan said with a smile, wondering how the old man knew about modern video games.

“Yes. Thank God.” He said and laughed. “My grandson plays all those shooting games a lot.”

“Wow! This would really be interesting if it works.”

“Remember, you don’t do anything other than what I told you. You can’t assist the universe in doing its work, just like you can’t assist gravity in doing its work. Do your part, and everything will happen automatically.”

“Hmm.”

“Yes. Now, let’s get back to work related talk.”

Sesan smiled and said, “Okay sir.”

To be continued

 

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