Afterthoughts: in the original version there was no use of bills, and the word

vampire
was written on one of the cards, the card which you must locate. The card was then
stapled. The performer now called attention to the staple and said that he can
listen
to the scream of the vampire while the staple penetrated his heart (a good story
and
great presentational idea that will sure be remembered) but it does two things, the
first, it turns the effect into a more comic type (which might suit your style and
there
is nothing bad about it) but the second and more important, it actually calls
attention
to the staple! It is most unlikely that the specs will not find the markings but
they will
sure later remember the fact that a staple was used.
By using bills to cover the business cards you provide better cover (to prevent a
peek) and you channel the attention away from the staple.
� 2003 Nir Dahan
Marked Mental Miscall by Christopher Taylor
Effect: �Is there a difference between the mind and the
imagination?� Without waiting for an answer, the mage
removes a deck of playing cards from his pocket and
addresses a spectator on his left. �Susan, here is a
deck of cards for you.� He turns to a spectator on his
right, �John, this is not a magic trick, so we are not
going to have you pretend that you are using an
�invisible deck�. But, we will need you to creatively
visualize a deck of cards. It is helpful if you use your
imaginary cards realistically. You will have Susan�s actions as a model to
duplicate.
"
�Susan, please remove your cards from the box and fan them in front of you so that
only you can see the faces. Look them over, select one that catches your interest
and place it face down on the table. John, will you now mime the same actions,
seeing the card you are imagining as clearly as you can in your mind�s eye.�
The mage now gives each of his participants a folded slip of paper and a pen.
�Please record the value of your selected cards on the inside of these slips;
Susan,
your actual card and John, your virtual card.� The participants are then directed
to
refold their papers, making sure that the writing can not be read through the
paper,
and then to initial them on the outside. The folded slips are put together in the
middle of the table and the cards, virtual and real, are put away.
�Susan, to discern the value of your card, we will invoke that power of the MIND
known as telepathy. Please, THINK of your card. Say its name in your mind several
times. I am getting the sense of a black card. Is my impression correct? Good, I
will
write down what I am getting.� The mage writes his perception on a slip of paper
and gives it to a spectator, asking her not to read it yet. The mage picks up the
folded slips and checks the initials. He keeps Susan�s and re-tables John�s. He
opens the slip and reads out, �Queen of Hearts.� The spectator reads out what the
mage has written for a perfect match.
Before the audience has fully recovered from the effect, the mage turns to John. �I
am not about to perceive a thought from your mind as I did with Susan. Instead, we
10
will continue to invoke the pure creative power of your IMAGINATION. You will now
visualize an event and that exact event will come to pass. Close your eyes please.
Visualize me saying the name of your imaginary card. Imagine the words coming out
of my mouth. We have this slip of paper to confirm what is about to happen. Can
you picture it happening?. Good, look at me!� The instant John opens his eyes, the
mage pronounces, �Jack of Spades�. John smiles, the mage opens the tabled slip
for final confirmation.
Method: The title gives away the working of this effect. Susan is given a marked
deck. The deck I use is hand marked by Kirk Charles. Get your telepathic
impression and write down Susan�s selected card�s value on a piece of paper to
confirm the telepathy. You can easily read the back of the marked card while giving
out the paper and pens. When you pick up the two slips, simply find and re-table
Susan�s slip with the initialed side down. You open John�s, read it, remember it
and
then miscall it as Susan�s.
At the finale, no one is much interested in actually seeing what is written on
�John�s
slip� as his reaction is really all the confirmation you need. He knows what he
wrote
so just casually flash the opened slip. In any case, it is a simple matter to
switch the
two slips if needed.
� 2003 Christopher Taylor
Coin Etheric by Kenton Knepper
The performer claims there was a time in his life (or a relative�s)
which was very important. The event made such an impression, that
the performer commissioned a special coin, a reminder of that year.
�It is not a real coin, just as my memory of that event while quite clear,
is not completely real either. Memories are pictures, with a little
something more added in� says the performer as he displays an
entirely clear plastic half-dollar coin.
�As you can see, obviously this clear coin shows the tails side only. It�s half of
a
picture, a half-truth, perhaps that is why they made it out of a half-dollar. Like
our
memories, it is crystal clear, and seems to be whole, yet one side only can be
seen.
It represents my own point of view of that moment in time�.
�I complained to the maker that while this coin piece was intriguing and unique, it
did
not have the year on it as I had commissioned. But he insisted the year was
showing on the heads side of the coin. I pointed out there was no heads side to the
coin at all. I held it up to the light, so he could see straight through it -
TAILS. I
turned it around - TAILS. It was clearly tails, as even an idiot could see, and I
was
suspecting that this man might indeed be one. But he insisted. �It�s a memory. The
coin represents only a magical piece. The heads side, and that year for you, that
is
a memory. You will find the heads side - the year - on the etheric side of the
coin�.
�I knew this man had lost it, or was trying to pull a fast one on me to excuse his
mistake. But the man said that memory related to silver, and if I were to fold a
silver
foil around the coin, I would see both sides. The foil, he claimed, would show the