//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Chinese Water Torture Cell. // Story: Harry Houdini: The Great and Powerful // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// About nine minutes later, Trixie returned to the theater feeling a little dizzy. She returned to her seat, her two assistants noticing the reddish bruises near her forehead. “Before either of you say anything, I’m fine.” “Where have you been?” Miss Direction questioned. “Trixie already told you, she went outside for some fresh air.” Her attention was now aimed toward the red curtain and the large clock on the left side of the stage, along with some numbered cards. There was a murmur from the crowd as well as the sound of war being poured into something large. The lights soon dimmed and a spotlight appeared on the right-hoof side of the stage where Houdini walked out from. Instead of wearing a suit, he was now wearing a crimson silk robe as he strode across the stage. The audience kindly applauded as he walked towards the large clock. “How long can a man, or pony, hold his breath?” he asked as he stopped before the timepiece. “For this next trick, I have with me the largest stopwatch in the world. You might be wondering why I’ve bought this out, or why I’m asking about how long one can hold their breath. I will show you in just a moment, but for now, let’s do an experiment, shall we? On the count of three, I want you all to take in a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can. Ready? One… two… three!” There was a collective inhale from the equine audience as young and old puffed out their cheeks. Houdini swiftly pressed a button and the clock started ticking. One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… after ten, the theater became dead quiet except for the slow ticking of the clock. Fourteen… fifteen… sixteen… seventeen… eighteen-- an exhale was heard. Twenty… twenty-one-- a dozen let out their breath. “You’ll start to notice,” Houdini spoke, “that time seems to slow down the longer you try to hold onto that precious bit of air. Your chest seems to want to collapse onto itself.” More exhales. “But imagine, for a moment, that you were holding onto that air for dear life. You’re trapped underwater, upside-down and locked up.” Finally, nopony could hold their breath any longer as Houdini pressed a button, stopping the clock’s timer at sixty seconds. “Mares and gentlecolts, I’m about to perform something similar to what I’ve just described. For this second act, I will attempt to escape from… the Chinese Water Torture Cell!” The curtain raised up, revealing a tall glass box in its center, transparent on all sides. Besides, it seemed to be a system of chains with heavy-looking stocks that had been painted red. “Perhaps”, Houdini spoke as he walked towards the glass box, “torture may not be the correct word to describe this. No, this thing is more of an execution device where the victim’s legs are locked in the stocks you see here. They are then dunked head first into the water, where they are forced to hang upside-down without being able to move.” Four assistants joined him on stage. “As you can see, my assistants’ carry four different locks which shall be put on as soon as I’m fully submerged into this death device. Now, as I prepare my lungs, would a member from the audience inspect the Chinese Water Torture Cell before I attempt my escape?” “I’ll do it,” a voice spoke, followed by a flutter of wings. A pegasus stallion flew over the stage, balancing himself on the edge of the glass box. He stuck a hoof inside and pulled it back out, revealing that it was indeed dripping with water. He then flew to each side of the box, tapping on the edges and the glass itself to confirm that it was indeed a solid box. Finally, he checked the stocks, opening the wooden device while showing it to the audience. “It’s real,” he said. “I can’t figure out how anypony would get out of a deathtrap like this.” Houdini thanked him and asked him to return to his seat. “If you’ll excuse me, I shall disrobe.” He undid his silk robe to reveal a piece of black clothing that seemed to resemble a one-piece swimsuit. He sat down before the stocks, placing his feet in the holes before his assistants placed a metal rod that locked him in place. “One last thing,” he said, “I strongly advise that no one in the audience should ever attempt to do something like what you’re about to see unless you know exactly what you’re doing. This theater’s manager is off-stage with an ax, ready to break the glass cage in case something goes wrong because there is always that chance.” Chains slowly raised the human upside-down and into position right over the glass box of water. Another assistant stood by with a large stopwatch and, at Houdini’s signal, lowered him head first into the water before starting the clock. Water quickly flowed over the deathtrap as everypony in the audience saw him sinking deeper into the box until the stocks on his feet finally hit the rim of the glass. The four assistants that helped guide Houdini in quickly locked all four sides of the lid, and the girl by the clock flipped a number. “One minute,” she says as the other assistants walked away from the box while two others came onto the stage with large dividers, blocking the spectators’ view. Trixie leaned over to Peppers. “Just watch, he’s going to pop out of there any moment now.” They waited, and the clock ticked on. The assistant flipped over another card. “Two minutes.” The blue magician blinked. Miss Direction leaned over. “Is something supposed to happen by now?” They looked around at the audience, whose faces were a mix of confusion and worry. Whispers and murmurs grew louder as the clock ticked on. By the two-thirty mark, a voice was heard. “Is this part of the show?” The assistants quickly shared their worry as the equine audience tried to figure out what was going on. “Three minutes,” she called out over the ponies’ ever-increasing anxiety. “Come on, let ‘em out!” “Is he alright?” “What’s going?” “Let us see!” But the clock ticked on and the divider stayed unmoved. When the timepiece reached the three-thirty mark, more assistants joined the stage, trying to calm the audience’s nerves. Trixie turned to her assistants who wore the same frightened look like everyone else. “Something’s wrong,” one of the assistants on-stage said. “Get the ax, get the ax! Hurry!” The assistants rushed over to grab both sides of the divider as an older-looking human rushed to the center of the stage with an ax in hand. The assistants tore the fabric divider aside and the manager raised his ax, ready to strike-- until they all saw that the cell was empty. “Whoever invented that device is a lunatic!” Everypony’s heads turned to the back of the theater to find a soaking wet Houdini walking down the aisles of the theater, leaving the audience to sigh with relief. As for Trixie, her brain came to a screeching halt as she tried to process what just happened. She turned her attention to the water torture cell, half-hoping that maybe the locks on the device were taken off by mistake, and that someone had sneaked behind the divider to unlock them. Yet, it was clear to everypony in the theater that all four of the locks were still secured on the lid.