Last Tuesday I met a friend I hadn't seen in years. During the years I hadn't seen him I'd been learning new magic tricks, including ones apart from card magic, so I thought I'd show him a simple silk vanish.

I stuffed the silk handkerchief inside my right fist, waved my left hand over my fist, and slowly opened my right hand to reveal that the silk had vanished. Clearly surprised, my friend looked to my left hand to see if it was concealing anything. I opened that hand to show it was empty (taking care to point my thumbs at his face) and what he did next caught me off guard: With his right hand, he grabbed the four fingers of my left hand and asked, "Where did it go?"

I'll admit: at this point I was sweating a bit and, taking extra care to point my thumbs at his face, I hoped he would not recognize my "oddity" so close to his right hand. To my relief he didn't, and after he let go of my hand, I resumed my normal patter and made the silk handkerchief reappear.

To be honest, I was surprised at how surprised he was. I mean, I knew many card tricks back when we saw each other last, so I thought he'd know I was into magic tricks and therefore wouldn't be so shocked at such a simple silk vanish. But his expression was such that he regarded my skill on par with a professional stage magician's. I guess I forget sometimes that even a banal trick can have such an astounding reaction on those who've never seen the trick before.

I've heard a saying along the likes of: An old trick isn't old to those who have never seen it before. To them, it's a new and amazing trick.

It gives me a nice feeling when a friend is so visibly shocked at my skill of prestidigitation. (I'm sure most of you know what I'm talking about.)

:)

Close one!

It's a good reminder to us that it doesn't matter how simple the trick is either!

Almost the same thing happened to me when I used TT for a cigarette vanish

I sure do. I had a similar experience with an old school colleague of mine. He was astounded by the old two dollar bills cut in half and restored trick. He even offered to buy me lunch in exchange for the secret. I laughed and told him I was on a diet, and that a magician never reveals his secrets...

I use a FT onstage, almost every show, to vanish an onstage volunteer's bill. Just for the self-thrill of it, I always shake their hand with the FT hand while I'm still wearing it.

It confused a magician friend in the audience. He knew I used a FT, but was absolutely perplexed because he couldn't figure out when/where I ditched it before shaking hands.

*evil laugh*