Carl Wants to Do Magic

This is a parody of the *Little Princess* episode "I Want to Do Magic".

It was a sunny day in Great Lakes City, and Hector was cleaning his guitar.

"Lovely day," said Ronnie Anne, looking out the window while Hector muttered away to himself, "I wonder where Carl has got to."

She soon found him in his and CJ's room, standing on his bed in front of Sergio, Lalo, and Carlitos, wearing a top hat and waving a wand.

"Ladies... and... gentlemen!", he said in a raspy voice, "Parrot... and... dog!"

"Hey, Carl!", said Ronnie Anne, prompting Carl to turn around.

"Hello," rasped Carl.

"What are you up to?", asked Ronnie Anne.

"I'm practicing," said Carl, "Guess who I am."

"Um... Bobby?", asked Ronnie Anne.

"No," said Carl, shaking his head.

"Um... CJ?", said Ronnie Anne.

"No," said Carl.

"A waiter?", said Ronnie Anne.

"*No*!", said Carl, frustrated, "I'll give you a clue", and he waved his wand.

"Ah, a fairy!", said Ronnie Anne.

"*No!"*, said Carl, annoyed that his cousin would think he was playing at being a fairy, since he felt those were for girls only and that they were babyish.

Just then, Frida opened the door and said, "Come, *mijo*, time for our walk."

"Do I *have* to?", asked Carl, sulkily.

"Yes," said Frida, "Don't be long, will you?", and left.

Carl groaned.

"Don't you want to go for a walk?", asked Ronnie Anne.

"I'm busy!", said Carl crankily, "I have to practice for my magic show!"

"Magic show?", asked Ronnie Anne.

"Do you know who I am or don't you?!", snapped Carl.

"Ah, you're a magician!", said Ronnie Anne.

"Yes!", said Carl, glad that his cousin had finally realised what he was doing.

"Can you do magic?", she asked.

"Nope," said Carl, "I need someone to teach me. Come on, Carlitos!", and he took Carlitos by the hand and they walked out the door with Lalo following. Sergio just rolled his eyes and stayed on the bed.

Soon, Carl met CJ, and they were at the table as CJ shuffled cards, while Carlota painted her nails.

"Hmm, let's see if I can remember," said CJ, then he cleared his throat and said the old standby: "Pick a card, any card."

Carl picked one and CJ cleared his throat again and said, "The card you are holding is the Queen of Spades!".

Carl gasped and said, "How did you know?!"

"It's all in the power of magic!", said CJ dramatically.

"Ha!", said Carlota smugly, "That and the power of *peeking*!"

"You *peeked?!*", said Carl, pointing his finger accusingly, "That's cheating!"

"I'm sorry," said CJ, "I can't really do... *magic."*

"I'll find someone else to teach me a *proper* trick!", said Carl, "Come on, Carlitos!", and he walked off with Carlitos.

Soon, Carl, along with Ronnie Anne, Lalo, Sergio, and Carlitos, was watching Maria blow up a balloon, which she then shaped into a duck.

"A duck!", said Carl excitedly, clapping his hands, "I want ducks in my magic show! Can you teach me?"

"Si!", said Maria, putting the balloon duck down, only for Sergio to pop it.

She handed Carl a balloon, but after an unsuccessful attempt at blowing it up, he said, "You do it," and handed it back to Maria.

She blew it up, handed it to him, and said, "There you go," but it deflated and flew all around the room, eventually hitting Sergio in the face and making Carl laugh.

Meanwhile, Maria blew up a third balloon, tied it up, and handed it to Carl saying, "There you go".

"Thank you," said Carl, and attempted to make the balloon into a shape, while saying to himself, "I'll make ducks... and dogs... and... a dinosaur!", and he eventually made an extremely misshapen balloon dinosaur.

Frida walked up and said, "That's nice, *mijo*, what is it?"

"A dinosaur!", said Carl, indignant that his mother didn't recognise it, "for my *show*!"

"It's lovely," said Frida to be polite, then she said, "Time for a walk now," and left.

"But *Mo-om*!", whined Carl. To add insult to injury, his balloon popped, making him frown.

He then headed off.

"Are you going for your walk now?", asked Ronnie Anne.

"No!", snapped Carl, "I need someone to teach me *proper* magic!"

He and Carlitos walked up to Hector, who was busy searching for his stash of corn chips, and said, "Abuelo, can you do magic?!".

"Well now," said Hector, "Let me see."

He noticed that Carlitos had climbed into a nearby hat, so he picked it up, waved a pencil over it, and said, "Abracadabra, abra-ca-day, show me a baby, today, today!" and pulled Carlitos out.

Carl exclaimed happily and clapped his hands, while Hector handed Carlitos to Carl to hug.

"Show me how to do it!", said Carl, "Show me!"

"Okay," said Hector, "You take your hat," so Carl did.

"Show that it's empty," said Hector, so Carl held up his hat and said, "Look!"

"Now," said Hector, "Say the magic spell: abracadabra, abra-ca-day, show me a baby, today, today! Tap it with your wand".

Carl couldn't be bothered memorising the spell, so he said, "Abra-ba-babra, bee-da-day, baby, gimme a baby!", then, tapping it with his wand, added, "Please", for good measure.

"No," said Hector with a chuckle, "Abracadabra, abra-ca-day, show me a baby, today, today!".

Carl tapped his hat with his wand three times, but still nothing happened.

"It still isn't working!", he said in annoyance.

"Let's try an easier trick," said Hector, "We'll make Carlitos disappear. Watch this."

He put Carlitos into his hat and said, "Abracadabra, abra-ca-day," then said, "Where's your wand?".

While Carl's back was turned, Hector hid Carlitos in his coat and said, "Make this baby go away!"

Carl gasped with excitement and a bit of fear to see his baby brother gone, but was glad when Carlitos toddled back into view.

"Now you try," said Hector.

So, Carl lifted Carlitos into his hat and said, "Abra-ba-babra, go away, baby!", tapping it with his wand.

"Carl!", called out Frida, causing Carl to turn his head and Hector to snatch away Carlitos.

"I'm just doing some magic!", said Carl, "I'm coming soon!".

"You did it!", said Hector.

"I did?", said Carl, then, upon seeing no little brother, he excitedly said, "I did! I can do magic! Ha! I'm gonna tell Dad!"

"Oh... Carl..." stammered Hector, but before he could finish, Carl was running off excitedly yelling, "Dad!".

"Carl! Carl! It wasn't real magic, it was... oh... it was just a trick," said Hector, but Carl didn't hear him.

Carl ran up to Carlos, who was reading, and sang, "I can do magic! I can do magic! I can do magic!".

"Can you, *mijo*?", said Carlos.

"I'll show ya!", said Carl, "Have you seen Carlitos?"

"I'm afraid not," said Carlos, but then Lalo walked up with Carlitos on his back.

"Oh, never mind," said Carl, and he put Carlitos into his hat.

"Abra-ba-babra, go away, baby!", said Carl, but nothing happened.

"Whoops," he said, "I forgot my wand," and he tapped his hat with his wand and said, "Abracadabra, go away, baby!" but Carlitos just babbled.

"Oh, it worked a moment ago!", said Carl.

"Maybe you need more practice," said Carlos, who was a bit wrapped up in his book.

"It *is* a difficult spell," said Carl.

"Keep trying," said Carlos, "I'll just get some coffee. Back in a jiffy," and he left.

"Abracadabra..." said Carl, but then Frida called out, "Carl?"

Carl groaned and said, "Abra ca-day..."

"This is the last time!", said Frida, so Carl said, "Agh! Make my mom go away!".

"That wasn't very nice!", said Ronnie Anne.

"I don't have *time* for a walk!", said Carl.

"I see," said Ronnie Anne.

"Well, I don't!", said Carl defensively, "Practicing is hard. It takes *aaaa*-ges!"

"Is that why you disappeared Tia Frida?", said Ronnie Anne.

"I didn't," said Carl, "I just said..." and then he gasped.

After all, while Carlitos had come back after the trick was performed, it had been a while and there was still no sign of Frida.

"You said, 'Abracadabra, abra ca-day," said Ronnie Anne.

"Oh no!", said Carl.

When Carlos came back with the coffee, he said, "I can't find your mother. She seems to have disappeared."

He gasped, and then Carlota came in and said, "Dad, have you seen Mom? I can't find her anywhere."

Carl gasped and ran off with Lalo following him.

"Mom!", he said.

He went into Carlos and Frida's room and cried out, "Mom, where are you?!"

Then, he stood outside one of the bathrooms, knocked on the door and said, "Mom!".

CJ came out, so Carl said, "You're not Mom!"

"Well, no, I... I'm CJ!", said CJ in confusion as Carl dashed off.

Carl then stood in the hallway and yelled, "MOM!", but no one replied.

"She's gone," he said to Ronnie Anne, "I've made her disappear!"

"Have you asked everyone?" asked Ronnie Anne.

Carl gasped. "Abuelo!", he said.

Carl ran up to Hector and said, "Quick! Quick!"

"Slow down, Carl," he said, "Tell me what's wrong."

"I did the 'go away' spell," said Carl.

"And did it work?", said Hector with a chuckle.

"Yes!", said Carl.

"Oh... good," said Hector, confused at why his grandson seemed so frantic.

"Not good -- *bad*!", said Carl, "I disappeared Mom! I didn't mean to," he explained, starting to cry as Lalo began licking and nuzzling him in an attempt to cheer him up, "But... I was cross. I said the spell! I said... 'Abracadabra, go away, Mom!'... and now she's gone. And I want her back!".

As he burst out sobbing, Hector put a hand on his shoulder and said, "There, there, Carl, it's not real magic. It was just a... a trick."

"So... you know... how to get her back, then?", asked Carl.

"Well, I, uh..." said Hector.

"I want my mom!", wailed Carl, and burst into tears again.

"We can go look for her," suggested Hector, but then, Frida walked up.

"Whatever is the matter!?", she said.

"Mom!", said Carl excitedly, running up to Frida and hugging her, "You're back!"

"Well, I got tired of waiting for you," she explained, "So I went for a walk by myself. How are you? Are you going to do a show for us?"

Carl nodded.

"Lots of card tricks, I hope."

He nodded again.

"And making things disappear?"

"No," said Carl, "Disappearing things is too easy," and Hector chuckled and continued looking for his corn chips.

Meanwhile, Carl, Frida, and Lalo walked off, with Carl saying, "Do you have any cards? I need them for my show. And some balloons, and some shiny hankies... oh, and a tiger."