Something About Magic

It is the magician’s job to distract and

deceive. As long as man has been con-

sciously alive, an illusionist’s slight of

hand has held us in suspense and awe.

How in the world did that rabbit appear?

Can a bouquet of roses actually materialize

from thin air? Everyone will attest, they

saw it all with their own eyes. Houdini

escapes from a straight jacket and chains,

and the audience is amazed. How in hell…?

Some believe chicanery or witchcraft has

come into play. Pick a card, any card, and

the ace of spades you chose randomly is

picked out by the dealer from the deck of

fifty-two. And then, of course, there is the

shell game where in plain sight a pea is

situated under one of three shells on the

table, then shuffled around. You place a ten

spot on the shell where you reckon the pea

should be. Wrong, sucker, you lose! It was

then you realized that the man running this

scheme is likely a politician after your money,

not a magician at all. At first, you were suspi-

cious when you heard money was involved…

And, hocus pocus, just like that, your cash

vanishes in the blink of an eye.

Chris Hanch 6-27-19