Well, I just did my very first magic trick ever for a small group of people, and they loved it. Let me tell you how it came about.....

A friend of mine took me to the grocery store today (one of my betters days that I could actually get around). While we were in line at the register waitining to pay for a 2 Liter of Pepsi-Cola, the register broke down and the drawer wouldn't shut, an electrical problem. The cashier called for one of the 2 store managers, and he came over to look at the cash register and try to fix it. There were about 6 people behind us, and everyone, including me my friend and the cashier, were all getting tired of waiting.

I don't know what made me do it, but I asked the cashier if she wanted to see a magic trick. She responded with a cynical remark, "Yah, sure, why not.". So I asked if I could borrow her writing pen. Well evidently, I said this loud enough for everyone behind us to hear it. And before I knew it, all 6 people behind us were watching, even the manager quit working on the machine had stopped and started to watch, along with the cashier.

What I was going to do was not really a magic trick, in fact I had got it out of the "Magic For Dummies" handbook, and it was just a way to help you get over the fear of performing. But I was going to do this, just to get everyone's mind off of the broken register, so I didn't have to hear all the grunbling while we waited for the register to be fixed.

Anyways, everyone was watching, including the manager (who should have been fixing the register) and the cashier. The cashier handed me her pen, I grabbed it with the left hand and held it verticaly. I started some mumbo jumbo patter about "How the body possed some mystical energies". I proceeded to grab my left wrist with my right hand. I then turned my left hand, palms down still grasping the pen in the left, and still holding the left wrist with my right hand, all along still talking about the "energies". I then slowly proceeded to open each finger, individualy, on my left hand, leeaving the thumb for last. As all the fingers were opened (along with the thumb), the pen was left levitating under my left hand palm. I left it that way for a few seconds, then closed my hand, turning my hand back over and handing the pen back to the cashier. I expected to get a lot of, "That's stupid" or "I know how you did that" or "That's funny" or "Nice Gag" responses. But what I got was a lot of, "Wows" and "How did you do that" and "That's creepy" along with a lot of clapping.

The manager was so stunned, he asked me to do another trick, and before I could object or respond, he grapped a quarter out of the register drawer and handed it to me. So I took it in my right hand, did some more mumbo jumbo patter about those "mystical energies", and placed it into my left and and made it vanish. Continuing with the patter about "energies" I brought it back again. Once again, everyone was stunned and clapping.

The manager was so stunned by both the things I did, he gave me the 2 Liter of Pepsi-Cola for free. Before he or anyone else could say or ask me to do anything else, I had my friend hurry up and get us out of there. The feeling I got from their reactions was unbeliveable, it was GREAT!

I am more hooked on magic now then I could ever imagine, and the best thing about it...The first trick wasn't suppose to even be a trick, just a stupid gag to quite the grumbling people in line.

Kudos to you Rock! What a wonderful story. It just proves that even simple effects with the right presentation equals success! I know the rush you felt...every aspiring magician has felt this. Keep it up, I know that store manager will always remember you when or if you return, so be prepared to perform some new tricks! Good luck and always have fun!

<<<<KRaZy4kardz>>>>

Hey, Rock!

That's a great story. You put all the presentation you could behind your "little gags," and they turned out better than you expected.

I remember the time -- it was Halloween day about 9 years ago. I took my car to get an oil change, and most of the staff at the dealership was dressed up. I wore my Starfleet uniform, I believe, and the people at Saturn knew that I was a magician. So while I was waiting for my car, they asked me to do some stuff. I don't remember everything I did, but it was probably card tricks. I don't know if I did Card on Ceiling or not, but I might have. Nevertheless, I held those folks spellbound for about 20 minutes.

When I'd finished, and the guy told me my car was ready, I said, "Well, it's time to pay the check." And he said, "You've entertained my crew -- get out of here." That was like them giving me some 30 dollars.

Magic For Dummies has good material in it. I've used it myself on occasion. As you get further into magic, you'll learn other pieces you can perform in those "store" situations. Look into Gregory Wilson's Hundy 500, for example. And remember, no matter how simple the trick, to always do the creators justice, by performing them well.

Carrie

Nice story. Thanks for sharing!

Magixx

You broke the ice, Rock, now there's no stopping you, but do keep in mind that you will make some mistakes along the way and you will encounter the occasional buzz kill, but having read your story you will be more than able to deal with these minor interferences.

Now go out there and win ... what else is there to do anyway?

Great story, The Magic Bug has officially been released.
Jeff

You have taken the first step.. Now practice.. make sure you do it for a close friend, or in front of a mirror.. Just cause you know how the trick is done, doesn't
mean you won't get caught. Make sure angles are covered to.. Other than that great story.. keep us posted..

Great story, Rock! It's true that some of the simplest tricks are stunners. When I first started magic, my Grandma asked me to do a trick and all I had was a quarter. I didn't really know any coin tricks so I just walked up to her and pulled the quarter from her ear. She was completely stunned! Then she said Wow, you sure are a magician if you can pull a quarter from someone's ear! I didn't even think that she would be impressed but she was amazed.