WIRED ffect: The performer tells his audience of a particularly vivid dream he had the night before. He woke from it suddenly, in a cold sweat, and all he could remember of the dream was a number that held no meaning for him, though he had a vague sense it had to do with money. He had the foresight to reach for a pencil and an index card on the nightstand, and wrote down the number so that he wouldn't forget it. Then he fell back into adeep slumber. In the moming he found the card with the number written on it. Though he still could not recall any details of the dream, a strong sense of portent remained; so he folded the card in half and stapled it closed around the edges, to eliminate any possibility of tampering. He displays this stapled index card to the group. He now asks someone in the audience to remove all the change on his person and to count it. When a total is reached he announces it to the group. “I thought you might be the one,” the performer mutters. “Let me show you.” He tears the center from the stapled card and opens it to expose the writing inside. A number is found there — a number that precisely matches the amount of change produced by the spectator, & ethod: Offered here isa fresh refinement on nailwriting technique, which can be adapted to many other presentations than the one given above. We will assume for this description thar the gimmick is worn on the right thumb, though the handling can be easily altered to accom- modate left-handed nailwriting. Any style of swami gimmick can be used. The only other thing you require is a three by five inch index card that is blank on both sides, White cards are best for the purpose of legibility; and lined cards cannot be used, for a reason that will soon be apparent. Fold the card in halfalong its width, and staple all three open sides shut favre 102 (Figure 102),116 CARNEYCOFIA As you relate the story of your nocturnal premonition, bring out the stapled card and casually display it, before raking it into the right hand. When it is passed to the right hand, hold the card creased edgedownward, in position to nailwrite on the center, near the fold (Figure 103). When you have led the spectator to announce the amount of change he has, secretly write the amount on the card. As you do this you should, of course, be directing attention away from the right hand and card. cee eee When you mention your prediction again, look at the card in your right hand, focusing the audience's attention on it. Place the left hand bricfly into your left coat pocket, as if searching for something, Withdraw the hand from the pocket, obviously empty. Transfer the card to theleft hand and place the right hand briefly into your nght coat pocket, again search- ing. While the hand is there, dislodge the swami gimmick from your thumb and let irdrop co the boom of the pocket. Bring forth your left hand, casually letting it beseen empty. This search of the pockets isdone very quickly as you continue to talk to the audience. You then say, “I seem to have misplaced my staple remover. Oh well, we can open it this way.” With that, tear a large tongue-shaped piece from the center of the folded card (Fig- ure 104), taking care not to expose the number on the backside. As you finish the tear, grasp the stapled outer frame in the left hand and the center pieoe in the right hand. MNonchalantly drop the frame piece into your left coar pocket as you focus artention on the right hand's piece. The right hand should hold the center piece by its falded edge, pinched berween the tips of the thumb and forefinger figere 104Winey WW? Jfigere 107 “fire 108 Because of the natural spring of the card, ifthe finger and thumbslightly relax their pressure on the piece, the bottom torn edges will separate bit. Insert the side of the left forefinger between the two flaps of the folded center and slide itall che way up to the fold (Figure 105). Simultaneously bring the left thumb down on top of the opening fold, pressing it flat against the forefinger (Figure 106). This completely opens the center piece. ‘The number is on the upper surface, but the left thumb conceals it. Also raise the outer edge of the center piece slightly, tilting the upper surface just beyond the audience's view. ‘You now transfer the center piece to the right hand, apparently curning it over in the process. The turnover, however, is false. The left thumb moves under the left edge of the piece (Figure 107) and flips ic rightward, toward the fingertips (Figure 108). Arthesame time, the left hand revolves palm-downward, this larger action concealing the smaller one. (Many readers will recognize this false turnover. It is often mistakenly credited to Francis Carlyle, though it appears in a Douglas Dexter trick, “The Mystic Star”, in Will Goldston's 1931 book, Grear Magicians’ Tricks, pp. 203-204.) Asthe left hand performs this turnover, bring the hands together and. set the center piece onto the fingers of the palm-up right hand. In doing118 so, use the right fingers to brush the lower halfof the Piece forward, reversing the direction of the fold (Figure 109). This action need not be pronounced, as you require only a slight reversal of the fold tocreate the desired effect. ‘With these actions you appear to have opened the center piece and turned the inside surface upward to reveal the writing. In reality, it is the outer CARNEYCOPIA “figere 109 surface that is presented to the audience, Immediately extend your right hand, offering the piece to the spectators to read. Let the person who takes it announce to the rest of the group the number he finds there. One final note: The frame piece is pockered after the centeris torn from the card to ensure that no trace of the secret can later be discovered, If someone were to compare the reversed center with the frame piece, scrutiny would reveal small discrepancies in the torn edges, which would provide a clueto the method. Therefore, the frame's disposed of before anyone can thik oF irusccinies che pieces! C-2