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Miscall
In this trick the
spectator see the following:
A pack of cards is given to someone to
shuffle. Someone else is handed a pencil and paper and asked to write down the
numbers from one to eight in a column. Any one of these numbers is now ringed
around,
The top eight
cards are then counted off and handled to you, and you call off the names of
the cards one by one while they are written down against the numbers on the
paper. Just initials will do: for instance KD will stand for king of diamonds;
4c will represent the four of clubs and so on.
Someone now
shuffles the eight cards into the pack; you ask the writer the name of the card
against the number which he ringed around. Supposing it was the 9h (nine of
heart), ask the spectator to look for that card in the pack and… to everyone’s
surprise, it cannot be found –it has completely vanished! You now direct
someone’s attention to a place behind the mirror and, wonder of wonders, the
missing card is found there. This sounds an impossible feat of magic and, what
is more, it requires no skill or practice. The cards are quite ordinary and you
could have had no idea which number was going to be ringed around. It can even
be done with a borrowed pack and quite impromptu, but more of that is later.
No doubt you are
wondering why this trick is called miscall; well, that is the basic secret, as
you will learn very soon, but first of all, you must have the pencil and paper
and the pack of cards handy
There is a little
preparation necessary and it is simple this: before you show the trick,
secretly remove any card from the pack and hide it anywhere, e.g. behind the
mirror or under the carpet, remember the name of the card, let us suppose it is
the nine of hearts.
Now you proceed
just as previously described: hand the pack for shuffling, instructs someone to
write down the column of figures and to ring any figure around. They have a
perfect freedom of choice about this, of course, but you must note which figure
it is; for example, it may be number four. Ask the person with the cards to
deal the top eight faces down into onto your hand. Pick off the first card,
look at it call out its name, it might be the Ace of Clubs, the writer writes
it against figure 1. The second card could be the three of diamonds, you call
three of spades, he writes 3.D against figure 2 and so on. Now the Important subtlety takes place. When
you come to the 4th
card, you ‘miscall’ it, that
is to say, you don’t announce it’s actual name, but instead call out the name
of the card you concealed behind the mirror (9th of hearts).
This card is
entered against figure 4. Do not allow the fact of this card to be seen, but be
casual about it; carry on with the rest of the cards calling their names so
they can be written down. Hand the cards to be shuffled into the pack and, from
this point you don’t handle them.
You come now to
the dramatic effect. Ask the writer which figure was ringed around (you already
know it of course, but appear to become interested in it only at this point).
Ask him to name the card written against the ringed figure, the have the
spectator to look For it in the pack, he doesn’t find
it and finally you PRODUCE it from your original hiding place. .
(This excellent
trick is capable of variations, for example you can borrow a pack, but as soon
as you remove the cards from the case, secretly LEAVE one behind, and note
which card it is, you proceed normally, but in this case the missing card is
found to have vanished from the pack to appear in the case.)