Henrietta “Houdini” Henning

Henrietta Henning lived In Honolulu, Hawaii. As a child, she often frightened her parents by hiding in places so small that they never thought to look in them for her. Her arms and legs were so limber that she could tie herself in knots that only she could untie. One night, when Harry Houdini, the famous escape artist, performed in Honolulu, the Hennings attended the show. Henrietta watched in awe as he escaped from dangerous dilemmas in such a way that saving himself seemed impossible.

Henrietta was amazed by Houdini’s ability to free himself from what appeared to be impossible situations. So, she read all about his different methods, and began practising them, unbeknownst to her parents. In time, she taught herself to unravel the tightest ropes binding her from neck to feet, and then she learned how to undo handcuffs and how to free herself from locked boxes.

One day, when Mrs. Henning could not find her, Henrietta demonstrated two more astounding skills. First, she learned ventriloquism, the ability to make one’s voice seem to come from different places, and the art of camouflage, the ability to blend in so well with whatever is in the background that the person hiding in it is invisible. When Mrs. Henning called for her daughter, Henrietta answered from different places, causing the poor woman to run from one place to another. Finally, Henrietta could not resist laughing and stepped out of a camouflaged spot not five feet from her mom.

“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed her astounded mother. “Your new talents are well suited for performances before audiences.” Squealing in delight, Henrietta told her mother that the school was sponsoring a big talent show, and that all students would attend. Then she showed her mother some of the tricks she would use, including being tied with strong ropes from head to foot and locked in an aquarium filled with water while wearing handcuffs. Upon escaping, she would camouflage perfectly with the background and use ventriloquism to prevent the judges from finding her.

The curtains opened on a huge aquarium that could be sealed with Henrietta in it. The audience gawked in disbelief, certain that their classmate would drown, but they were in for a big surprise. Without any sign of fear, she allowed herself to be handcuffed and wrapped in knotted ropes. Then, two men hoisted her up, dropped her in, and locked the top.

Dead silence fell over the audience. At first, Henrietta remained motionless as bubbles gurgled from her mouth, but then, with eye-blurring swiftness, she threw off the ropes, removed the handcuffs, unlocked the aquarium with a tiny knife, jumped out, and disappeared. The judge called for her, and each time she answered from a different place, he ran to it but found nobody. Finally, Henrietta stepped out of her camouflaged spot and bowed to the roaring, cheering audience. From then on, if someone mentioned the miracle girl, everyone knew who it was: Henrietta “Houdini” Henning.

NOTE: Jimmy Reed is a retired college professor and author of several books. This story is from his latest, a children’s book entitled FROM A TO Z, TO YOU FROM ME. Each story in the book maximizes the use of an alphabetical letter, enhanced by alliteration and assonance. The book is available on Amazon, or can be purchased directly from the author. His email address is jimmycecilreedjr@gmail.com.

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