On a street somewhere in Berlin.
Small groups of people had gathered together, watching a street performer put on a magic show by the roadside.
The performer looked rather old, his face marked by the passage of time. Yet his back remained straight. He wore the black top hat common to street magicians and, even in summer, a long black coat that gave him the air of a true magician.
At first, his tricks were no different from those of other magicians. He pulled a rabbit from his top hat, then stuffed it back inside and made it disappear.
He then pulled a handful of ribbons from the hat out of thin air and scattered them around, drawing cheers from the children.
Finally, he did something more original than the other magicians.
With a light snap of his fingers, an orchid suddenly bloomed in his palm. He then gave the flower to a little girl beside him.
The girl excitedly screamed at her mother.
"Mom! This is magic!"
"This is called a magic trick, sweetheart, not magic," her mother explained.
"No! This is magic!" the little girl insisted.
Professor Foxx crouched down and smiled as he patted her head.
"Yes, you're right. This is magic."
"See, Mom? Even the magician says so." The girl turned to argue with her mother.
The girl's mother gave Professor Foxx an apologetic smile.
When the performance ended, Professor Foxx took off his hat and gave the audience a gentlemanly bow.
By then, quite a crowd of passersby had gathered. They applauded Professor Foxx's performance and dropped money into his hat.
One street performance had brought in quite a substantial amount.
After the crowd dispersed, Professor Foxx had yet to count the day's earnings when an owl suddenly flew toward him from the sky.
A