“Hey, you kids get back here!” shouted Hugh as he slammed the door open and ran after his kids, Franklin and Natalie. Franklin and Natalie, ever since they were babies, loved magic. They would love to watch live performances of magicians pulling rabbits out of their hats, levitating someone off the ground, sawing someone in half without any blood or gore coming out, playing cups and balls, link rings together, find someone’s card, pull things from behind people’s ears, turn objects into doves, and so on. They loved magic, and when they heard that there was this “street magician” who does magic with money, they quickly wanted to meet this magician in person. They both had their piggy banks out while running towards him in a filthy alleyway near their house. “Franklin, Natalie, get back here this instant! Do not go to that man!” shouted Hugh as he saw his kids running towards the man.

Hugh knew who that “street magician” was. His name was Timothy McCalvin. He was a cheap, lazy, homeless bum, who would trick kids and parents into thinking he was a magician so they would give him money to see the magic tricks he could perform. Although Timothy was talented in magic, he wasn’t a magician. Just a homeless jerk who would take other people’s money so he could waste it on alcohol and cigarettes. What he would always do as his last trick was ultimately to make the money disappear. He didn’t want his kids to waste their money, the money they could use to pay for getting into a good college, on some greedy, selfish fraud. Not everyone in the town knew of this man’s intentions, but Hugh did from having to arrest him a few times for conducting inappropriate spells, like making your dog disappear or making your mom feel like a little, giddy schoolgirl again. Hugh had to tackle Timothy down after hearing him say that out loud. Timothy was sleeping and snoring on his chair at his poorly made magic stand. He kept sleeping and snoring until both Franklin and Natalie were at his stand while holding their piggy banks in front of him. “He looks tired. Should we be here? You know, Dad did tell us about this guy before. How he isn’t an actual licensed magician and-” Frankin says softly and timidly before being rudely interrupted by Natalie. “Ah, shut up! Don’t be such a baby, Franklin. This will be fun, not whatever dad’s trying to make it out to be, okay? We’re not going to get killed, kidnapped, or robbed. We’re just going to be entertained by this guy’s magic,” said Natalie smugly. Natalie turns her head to the sleeping and sitting “magician” in front of them and smiles widely. “Isn’t that right, sir?” asked Natalie, smiling at the “magician.” Timothy was still sleeping on the chair he was on and snoring so he didn’t hear what Natalie said. Natalie gets frustrated and smacks him in the face, trying to wake him up. Timothy gets up and about, suddenly screaming and panicking. “No, no, I didn’t steal that dog. I didn’t steal any today, and I kept my clothes on when I was around her! I mean it! Don’t hit me! Please, I-” Timothy was shouting until he looked down and saw the kids. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I’m doing this for cash,” said Timothy lowly and bothered. Timothy looks down at the kids and widens his eyes in surprise seeing the kids. “Oh, no. Uh, see, kids, I was pulling, um, a trick on you, like how any great magician would do. What should I have said?” asked Timothy as he stared and smiled at the kids uncomfortably, chuckling nervously. “You mean “with”? And when you say “this,” you’re just referring to your magic, yes?” answered and asked Franklin in a similarly shy manner and dubious tone. Timothy stares at nothing. “Man, I miss Puerto Rico. The beaches, the culture, the ziplining, the surfing, the swimming, the drinks, the women. Yeah, I miss their mangoes, peaches, and papayas, especially,” said Timothy, still staring at nothing, not paying attention to the kids as he slightly nods and licks his lips. “Mmmmmmmmmm, Yeah, I-I’m sorry did you say ‘with’?” asked Timothy as he looked down once again, saw the kids, and tried to remember what one of them said. Franklin nods, looking concerned. “Well, you’re right! ‘Cause I’m gonna do some awesome magic with your money!” Excitedly shouted Timothy as he got close to the kids’ faces and spread out his arms widely. Natalie lightly smacks Franklin’s stomach, giving a smug look on her face. “See, just like I told you. He is kinda weird, admittedly. But he IS a magician. The best kind of weird. Look, let’s give this guy our piggy banks, so he can take the money out and do cool stuff with it!” Natalie shouted as she happily gave Timothy her piggy bank, and Franklin gave Timothy his piggy bank doubtfully as he groaned. “Kids, no! Stop! Put your piggy banks down right this instant! Do not give them up!” shouted Hugh as he ran down the street, heaving and panting. Both the kids turn around to look at their dad. They both bend down to put their piggy banks on the ground. Franklin does this as he smiles while Natalie sighs. “What do either of you two think you guys are doing?” asked Hugh, frustrated at them both. “She made me do this, Dad. Let me tell you, I didn’t want to be a part of this. She forced me against my will to be here! I think we need to send her somewhere,” said Franklin as he was pointing at his sister with his thumb out and had a panicked look on his face. Natalie gets irate at Franklin, stepping on his right foot while frowning intensely. “That’s not true! Stop lying! If you had said something about not wanting to show up with me here, you should have! Then, I would’ve left you at home! But did you say anything? No, you Passive Pete! You just let things happen to you all the time! Not my fault that you just do what I do because all you do is what other people tell you to do!” angrily shouted Natalie. “Well, at least I don’t get into trouble like you, Natalie!” angrily shouted(at least in comparison with how lowly and timidly Franklin talks) Franklin. “Alright, that’s enough from you both! You both almost got taken, and almost went into the cave! I get it! But let’s not be mean to each other, guys!” said Hugh as he touched both of their shoulders and looked at them with worry in his eyes. Both Natalie and Franklin looked at their dad with a muddled look on their faces. “What I said about the cave was just an expression. It’s based on a fairly popular local nursery rhyme. A lot of people here in the town know the nursery rhyme. Frankly, after what just almost happened, I think I need to let you both know about it. Not right now, though. I will when we get back home,” says Hugh as he takes his kids' hands and takes them back home after Natalie and Franklin pick up their respective piggy banks. “Ah, well, I guess I can just go back to sleep. Mangoes, mmmmmmmmmm………” Timothy says as he slowly sits back down and hits his head against his stand. Sleeping and snoring once again as Hugh takes his kids back home. It becomes nighttime as Hugh takes his kids to bed. They share a big, soft bed. “Hey Dad, can you talk to us about that nursery rhyme?” asked Franklin curiously. “Yeah, this great nursery rhyme that you want us to know so much about,” said Natalie sarcastically. “Well, okay, I’ll tell you this nursery rhyme. I’ll sing it to you both. A nursery rhyme is a song, after all,” said Hugh as he sat on their bed, next to his kids under their covers, chuckling. “Okay. Okay. Here I go,” said Hugh, getting ready to sing. Hugh clears his voice by coughing. “Two go in, and one comes out. That saying comes from a story. A story about kids, that’s what it’s all about. Come, listen, learn, and make choices more wisely. Once there lived two kids, a boy and a girl. They lived in a nice town, full of good people that acted nicely. The boy and the girl, named Fred and Jessie, had two good parents. Their loving nature could make their kids feel like they could conquer the world. They were two nice kids in their own ways, but they were curious and wanted to do things quite unbelievable. One was more cautious and scared slow to let things unfurl. The other was braver and outgoing. Even if her common sense was a bit more impaired,” sang the dad, looking at Natalie, who groaned and rolled over, crossing her arms. “Regardless of whatever thought about what they’d do, they were still going. Going and doing those things against their parents’ wishes. Thankfully, the children never got hurt. Never got themselves into that much trouble until they heard a surprising whiz. It took them both to find out where it came from, so let’s be curt. The kids found out that whiz came from a cave. The cave had more whiz and enticing voices coming out of it. Wanting the kids to get inside, to crave. One of the kids didn’t want to go in, not even a bit. The girl, on the other hand, was so excited that she was ran to the cave. The boy got worried and ran after her. The girl got inside, not knowing that danger was grave. The boy got inside after her, trying to get his sister,” sang Hugh, then paused as he looked at his kids. “They were both in the cave. The voices were coming from ghosts of people who died in the cave. Haunting the cave, tricking others going by, keeping them trapped, not free. Just to suffer, die, and get stuck, which makes them misbehave. They both tried to get out.

They were running out of the cave as fast as they could. Of course, the ghosts went after them without a doubt. Things for the kids weren’t looking good. Especially to the really scared boy. Scared of the cave falling apart, the rotting skeletons, and the ghosts, behind him, the lifeless stares. His confidence was impaired, oh, no, oh, boy. He stopped running and he just let himself stay there. Out of confusion and having a lack of spine. The girl was running so quickly that she didn’t notice. She ran out of the cave, got out just fine. She was happy that she got out, until she looked around and didn’t see her brother. She looked and looked but realized he wasn’t there. This upset her. As she realized that losing her brother was going to be hard to bear,” Hugh said in a sing-songy voice, looking at his kids. Natalie turns around and looks at her dad, having a less angry look on her face. “I guess it was kinda dumb for me to go up to that magician guy. Honestly, thinking about it, he did seem shady. Thanks, Dad, because I don’t think he would’ve done good magic on our cash,” admitted Natalie. “Yeah, well, I guess I could have been more active in trying to stop you. Thanks, Dad, for helping out,” admitted Franklin. “You’re welcome, kids. I just want to make sure that you both end up okay. Goodnight, you two,” said Hugh as he kissed both of their foreheads, got up from their bed, turned off the light, and walked out of their room, closing the door behind him.