Tubin'
"Hitomi? Are you ready for the next illusion?" The Magician looked hopeful as he called off stage. "The last one ran, um, under time."
A woman's voice, lightly accented, called back, "Sorry boss, no- still getting prepped."
"Oh dear, now I guess I've got to fill some time." The Magician stepped to the side of the stage, and pulled out a low table, on which sat a large, opaque vase, roughly half his height, with a body about 16" at its widest, and a very skinny neck that flared outwards at the top. "Well, I had intended to have my volunteer put this vase into that puzzle box, but, unfortunately, I'm now short both a box, and a volunteer. And an illusion, of course. But I can probably remedy at least one of those now, and, well, we'll see if we can improvise from there." He looked into the audience, and pointed, "You, young lady, would you like to be my volunteer? ... Yes, you! There's only one young lady I'm pointing at right now." He stepped down and helped her stand, then helped her on stage, asking her name as he did so.
"Ladies and gentlemen, a big hand for my brave volunteer, Ashley." The young woman was about 5'3" and slender, with small breasts and ample hips beneath a knee length, denim skirt. Her curly, dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She blushed at the applauds.
The Magician led her to the vase. "Ashley, could you please get inside this vase for me?"
Ashley's eyes widened in disbelief, but she pushed off one shoe with her other, and stepped up onto the low table, then put her stockinged foot against the mouth of the vase. She shook her head, "No, I can't- just my toes."
The Magician smiled. "Thank you, Ashley. The hole's just a little over two inches wide, so of course you can't. But it was bold of you to try!" Laughter from the audience. "Sorry, I was just filling some time by teasing; I've got something else in mind." He pulled the vase off the table and set it to the side of the stage. "Here, help me pull this table center stage."
"Now, Ashley, if you could take a step up?" he said, once they had walked around and moved the table, showing it had no mirrors or trap doors. "Ladies and gentlemen, a girl on a table!" There were some applauds. "Ashley, help me out, I'm improvising here!"
Ashley slightly bent one knee and raised her left hand over her head, and, said, loudly, "Ta da!" She smiled as the applauds grew louder.
"That's good- keep them entertained for a minute!" The Magician dashed off stage. Ashley stood, looking at the audience and smiling awkwardly. She let her hand drop, and turned to look offstage where the Magician had gone. "Oops!" he said, loudly. There was a shriek and a crash. Ashley winced. The lid of a pot rolled on stage, and, slowly, spun around in smaller and smaller circles, then stopped and fell flat. Ashley looked back at the audience and raised her hand again. "Ta da!" Laughter and applauds.
"Sorry about that, Hitomi. I didn't realize you were standing there. I'll let you fix that and finish getting ready." The Magician strode back on stage as Ashley lowered her hand. "Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, looks like I'll have to improvise a bit longer." He was carrying a low step ladder, and had one end of a large diameter cardboard tube under his other arm. A stagehand carried the other end; it looked to be about seven feet long. "Let's see here..." He set the ladder beside the table, stepped up, and lifted the tube, placing it over Ashley and letting it drop till it rested on the table.
"Ladies and gentlemen, a girl on a table, in a tube!