Jeff "Jolly" Rogers, owner of both horse and horse diving show, flashed his skull-like grin when Nellie told him the grim news. "Go ahead 'n quit if you want to, but Pegasus is gonna earn her way. If she don't, it's off to the glue factory, alive or dead. Your choice."

She ran, in tears, across the back lot to the long equipment trailer, painted on the side, "Siegfried the Magician and his Fabulous Famous Amazing Shrink Ray!" At the open door she looked into the dark cavern at the mass of magical equipment. "Siggy?"

Bogey, the toy poodle, ran to the doors to greet her followed by Siegfried, her rock, buffing his top hat. "Say, diving diva, why the tears?" When she told him, he dashed his magical hat to the ground. "Now he's gone too far."
Siegfried and Jolly Rogers, in an uneasy partnership, had worked together on the diving platform. Siegfried designed it and built most of it, intending to use it for his magic act, alternating with Jolly's horse diving show. Jolly's fire eating days were over, due to an unfortunate accident that left him hairless. He needed the new act. He needed Siegfried's building skills. When he didn't need him anymore, he discarded him, cheating Siegfried out of his interest in the project. The built-in tricks in the platform went unused. The betrayal still burned.

The next Saturday afternoon, Jolly was in the ticket booth when he heard Siegfried's voice from the loud speakers, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this afternoon, a special event. Pegasus the Flying Horse with her beautiful rider, Nellie, and Siegfried the Magician, famous for his fabulous Shrink Ray, will perform here together for the first time ever." Jolly bolted towards the platform, pushing against the pressing crowd. He stopped to look when the recorded blast of horns announced Peggy's arrival on the platform, wings painted on her sides, Nellie on her back, waving to the audience, who cheered in response. At the far end of the platform, there was a flash of light and a brief cloud of smoke which quickly dispersed revealing Siegfried the Magician, Shrink Ray in hand. The crowd ahhhed, then cheered. Rogers bullied his way through the crowd.

Nellie urged Peggy across the platform, to just beyond arms length of Siegfried, his back to the precipice. A recorded drum roll hushed the crowd. Siegfried slowly raised the Ray gun until it was level with the white beast's chest. A flash of light from the gun, and smoke rose up, enveloping them. Peggy rose up on her hind legs, head above the smoke, for just for a moment, and then was swallowed by it. A breeze from the sea startled the cloud, then dispersed it, revealing Siegfried standing alone on the edge of the platform. The crowd cheered wildly. Siegfried waited, then silenced them with a grand gesture. In his free hand was a white object, held aloft. He flung it into the air where it seemed to float for a moment, then it spread wings and flew away over the heads of the people and out across the sea. Their heads turned to follow its flight and when they looked back, Siegfried was gone.

Rogers arrived at the back of the platform, but they weren't there. He looked out to the parking lot, and Siegfried's big trailer was gone. He ran to the rear exit and peered down the gravel road, but all he could see in the bright glare of the sun was a smoky cloud of dust.