"Transposition" (in the anthology TRICKS OF THE TRADE: MAGICAL GAY EROTICA). by 'Nathan Burgoine

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I went out with friends last night for a birthday party, and we were out much later than I usually stay up. The end result was waking up this morning (read: late this morning) and feeling like the morning had done a vanishing act. Along with my energy and my ability to think in fully formed thoughts.

I'm not twenty anymore. When a morning vanishes, I feel it.

When I first saw the call for Tricks of the Trade, I was very intrigued by the idea. Stage magic is something I know nearly nothing about - one thing you can count on in a Jerry L. Wheeler anthology call is that you're going to have to spend some research time - but the theme was so unique I wanted to come up with something. Eventually, I did.

The mix of stories that the other authors came up with is so varied. They really run the range from fun and light to bittersweet and dark, and sometimes even a bit disturbing.

"And Now, For My Next Trick," by Lewis DeSimone

This is a great tale and a perfect example of what I mean when I said the stories really move through a wide range of tone in their execution. What starts as the tale of a cynical man who has mastered the art of making things disappear moves through the sweaty enjoyment promised so heartily by the cover of Tricks of the Trade, and then into a territory I didn't see coming.

When you have spent your life making things - and others - vanish, what's in store for you when they come back?

Very moody, very shivery, and very well done.