The Magician's Elephant

Speed, spirit,

and a really large fish, the three tools of a hero!

Hang on. That doesn't make any...

Speed, spirit and a very large...?

I'm getting ahead of myself.

If I'm gonna tell this story...

I've got to catch you up on everything.

So, there was this town once, Baltese.

Oh, you should have seen it.

Which I guess you are now, so, good.

The sort of place where everything felt possible

or even magical,

like that lady making the fountain go nuts.

Check this out!

Or these kids, doing some sophisticated, magical...

Inappropriate!

Anyway, times changed, like times do.

And let me tell you, it wasn't good.

There was the Great Foreign War, and after that,

people in Baltese just stopped believing.

Nothing felt possible or magical,

and then the clouds rolled in.

Strange clouds that never break or budge or snow.

The town's been stuck, but things are about to get unstuck.

I mean, otherwise, why would I tell this story? That'd be pretty boring.

Peter is an orphan being raised by an old soldier.

The soldier knows about fighting and hardship and danger,

so he's training the boy for that kind of life.

But the boy knows there must be more.

Peter, other children have families,

but as orphan, you have a rare privilege.

You can devote yourself to soldier's life.

Attention.

Here is coin for today.

Get our fish and bread now

before you begin your marching.

Older bread the better, bread to make your teeth... strong,

and small fish so you are accustomed to hunger.

- For what are we? - We're soldiers, sir.

- And what is this? - The world.

And what is the world?

Hard.

- Good morning, Mrs. Taylor. - Good morning, Peter.

Hmm.

Are you going to the opera tonight, madam?

Certainly. The only thing I enjoy in this town.

Good morning.

Ah, Peter, I saved you a beautiful piece today

that you can't refuse.

Come on, you know Vilna.

I know. I know.

Old bread and small fish.

Careful!

No!

Hey, Peter. Here's the most disappointing fish for you.

Oh no, no, no, no!

Mind yourself.

What?

"The most profound and difficult questions

that could possibly be posed by the human heart or mind

will be answered for the price of one coin."

One coin.

I have to know.

Whoa.

Your Guardian Vilna Lutz will be angry if you return without dinner.

Where'd you come from? How do you know that?

But you must ask yourself,

one day without food or the rest of your life without knowing?

Mm.

She lives.

What?

- How do you...? - One coin, one question.

Careful.

Well, my family died in the war when I was three years old. There was a battle...

There was a battle.

Vilna Lutz rescued you, and he's raising you to be a soldier.

- What? - I know.

When my father died, my mother...

She was expecting a child. I also know.

Sergeant Lutz told me that during the birth,

both she and the baby died, but...

But you remember?

I held her. I know I did.

Your sister?

My sister.

She was so small and she was...

Alive. Yes.

- Why did Vilna Lutz tell me...? - No.

You will only get one question, so be careful.

Will I ever see her...?

Stop! Stop and think for a moment.

Think of the right question, Peter.

How do I find her?

Yes, good. Very good.

And the answer is...

follow the elephant.

- You're having fun with me. - You have your answer.

"Follow the elephant?" I gave you our one coin for today.

You made a choice. You asked a question.

And you cheated me.

Follow the elephant and you'll find her.

But there aren't any elephants here!

Just as you say.

We have no dinner tonight because of Fortune Teller?

Yes, sir, but she knew so much about me! About you! I...

How could she know about me? I do not even know about me.

She said that my sister lives

and to follow an elephant.

An elephant? Your sister?

I know, sir. You've told me all these years that my sister...

Not again with this.

Your poor mother, your sister.

Both of them died.

I saved you, which was all that I could do!

But I...

Top shelf.

Kitchen cabinet.

A storybook? Who is Romain De Smedt...?

Gimme, gimme, gimme! Romain De Smedt drive me crazy.

Young soldier I served with, good boy.

But he read this book at night which remind him of home,

of mother, of comfort.

I had to cure him of all of this.

So I stole De Smedt's book.

What?

And it worked.

Without this book, he turned into the most fearsome soldier in army.

Why are you telling me this?

Where there is comfort, there is innocence.

Where there is innocence,

there can never be soldier.

Peter, today,

you were told... a fairy tale.

One just as false as any in this book!

There are no elephants.

If there were elephants...

...I would spot them immediately!

Ah. You hear that?

Some kind of disturbance.

Hand me the spyglass.

It's just the cats.

Spyglass. Spyglass, Peter. Spyglass! Spyglass! Peter!

Amazing.

Very clever.

Yeah. That is a smart strategy.

If only I could find a pattern.

Peter, it's time to march.

Go. March, march, march.

Razor-sharp talons.

- Oh, what did you put in this? - Turmeric.

Really? At dinner time?

I'm on it.

Excuse me? Peter?

Typically, we're spared marching during the dinner hour.

Yes, sir.

I have to do extra because I spent our dinner money on a Fortune Teller.

Mm. And what did they tell you?

To follow an elephant... which doesn't exist.

Mm.

Yes.

But what if it did?

Leo Matienne!

My wife, she's tired of my "what ifs."

The elephant will lead me to my sister.

Peter! March, now!

A child shouldn't live like that, marching and marching.

It's none of our business, Leo.

Now, at the exact same time across town,

there was a show with...

No, not that guy!

The opening act is a magician.

Thank you so much.

It's not going well.

Mystery and wonderment!

- Ace of diamonds! - Nope.

The Hoops of Delirium!

No, no, no, no, no, no!

Oh.

I have one final trick.

Excellent news!

I will need a volunteer.

Madam, if you please.

Please.

Have a seat, madam.

Can we just get it over with?

The Magician isn't great at magic,

but even if he was, he realizes this crowd wouldn't care.

And that's what does it.

He decides to try a powerful spell,

something to restore and revive all of Baltese.

One elegant, invisible moment of profound change.

Now!

Like I said, he's not great at magic.

Let me explain!

Do you have a name?

Do you have a name?

What? What the...?

Hey! Hey, do you know what happened to the Fortune Teller's tent that was there?

No tent there yesterday.

Mm. Was a tent once. Maybe it was just laundry.