February 11, 2012
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A Magic Trick for the Christmas Season
Distraction. The art of the magician lies in distraction.
Imagine you sit in the front row before a stage, determined to see through the trick. The magician strides onto the stage, cape swirling, wand poised to act. He strolls to left and right, surveying his audience, perhaps twirling the points of a satanic mustache, smiling mockingly at the crowd. Then, a swipe of the wand, a flash, a cloud of smoke, and a small table has appeared at stage center, bearing a white dove that coos and flaps its wings, and a white silk handkerchief.
You will not be deceived. The dove struts on the table, and you eye it intently. The handkerchief is of the same whiteness; how easy it would be to confuse the two. The magician calls for a helper from the audience; you spring to your feet and ascend the steps eagerly, eyes still fixed on the preening dove. Watch closely, says the magician, laying down his wand to take up the smooth bundle of feathers in one hand, the silken square in the other. Watch closely, and you will bound in astonishment.
His eye fixes yours, but your vision holds fast to the dove. His hands move swiftly, dove, kerchief, dove, kerchief, each rotating briskly around the other, till suddenly the dove disappears within the handkerchief’s folds. A gesture of triumph from the magician as he snaps aside the cloth… but the dove is still visible! It flaps, flies, rises into the dark above the stage, you tip back your head bewildered to follow it, then with a wild cry bound into the air, for the magician has jammed his wand right up your ass!
Distraction my friend, distraction. The art of the magician is distraction.
Comments (1)
Well said.