Magicians

It confused me as a lad when I heard that there were women who performed tricks, like magician type stuff. Someone told me one evening that one of these magical women was going to be putting on a show out behind the old K-Mart. It was an odd venue, and the only member of her audience was an old dude named Bert. I watched from a distance because I hadn't paid admission and when I finally saw the first trick, I lost my balance and fell and began scooting backward until I could get up and start running. I ran like hell and didn't stop for a good fifteen minutes so I could be as far away from that magic show as I could be.

For years after, I would run away at full speed at the mere mention of tricks of any kind, magic, sleight of hand... anything to do with those dirty magicians. I saw what she did to Bert. It wasn't magic.