The night in the city was thick with fog and lights. Marta, an architecture student, and her friend Jan decided to take a walk in the old part of the city, where cobbled streets led no one knew where. They were chatting about life, laughing at their own awkwardness, when suddenly a narrow alley they had never seen before caught their attention. Intrigued, they turned into it and, after a few steps, spotted a door - old, wooden, with a red star carved in the middle. From behind them came the muffled sounds of music and laughter. Martha hesitated, but Jan, whose curiosity always won out over reason, knocked. The door swung noiselessly open. A moment later, they saw a bar that looked like it had been taken out of another world: mirrors reflected unfamiliar faces on the walls and thousands of miniature stars lit up the ceiling. The guests sat at round tables and watched the stage where an illusionist in a glittering tailcoat performed. His tricks were too real to be mere tricks - the girl in the blue dress really did disappear before the audience's eyes, and glasses levitated in the air. Martha felt a strange tingling on the back of her neck. "This place is extraordinary," whispered Jan, stunned. Suddenly the illusionist looked straight at them, stopping his performance. His eyes flashed crimson and the crowd blinked, as if losing and regaining consciousness in an instant. - 'I have been waiting for you,' said the illusionist in a voice that vibrated in the air. - Come, I will show you real magic. Marta and Jan looked at each other with anxiety and fascination. What would they find on the other side of the curtain, which the illusionist had just swung open with a gentle movement? A darkness waited in the doorway leading behind the stage, from which wafted the sweet scent of violets....