Read Online Real Magic by Stuart Jaffe - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Stuart Jaffe
Tags: Time travel, card tricks
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Hotel in town. He used to go by the name 'Thumbs' on account of the fact that he liked to break them off his victims. Especially magicians. Liked to ruin their careers."
Duncan's face screwed up in confusion. "Why the heck would he care about magicians?"
"We're really good at cheating at cards, for one thing. For another, he's not."
"So he's jealous?"
"Who knows? He's a Jew and they're a strange lot."
Duncan bristled but kept his mouth shut. This was 1934. Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, wasn't necessarily frowned upon. Or even questioned, for that matter.
Wait a few years, Duncan thought. World War II might change a few minds.
Vincent shuffled his feet to a halt. He pointed into the sky as if he expected a UFO to appear suddenly. "Look there."
Squinting, Duncan said, "I don't see anything."
"Wait. It'll come."
A few seconds later, the sky lit up with Fourth of July fireworks. Reds and blues streamed across the sky while explosions popped everywhere. In between shots, Duncan could hear the dim noise of a crowd applauding.
"How close to town are we?"
"Not far," Vincent said. Minutes later, they passed under a lone streetlamp. "You'll be able to find your way back from here, no trouble." He started to walk away, then spun with a snap of his fingers. It all looked rather choreographed to Duncan. Especially when Vincent said, "You know what you should do? You should try to join my magic club. It's an amateur group, mostly, but we get together at the Magic Emporium and trade secrets, work on effects, and have fun. It's a blast. It's also a good place to lay low without seeming suspicious."
Duncan didn't quite catch why being in a club would make him any less suspicious, and he figured Vincent's drunkenness was doing the talking here. But joining the club might help him learn the area a little faster, would certainly provide a few new contacts, and might be the right kind of people to learn about a magic door. At the least, it would be a place from which to conduct his search for the door. "Okay, I'll join your club."
"Hold on, there. Not so fast." Vincent pulled out a fresh deck of cards with a red patterned back. "I know you can handle cards well, but everybody in the club has had to pass this test. I can't go making exceptions just because I nearly killed you in a car. That wouldn't be right." He opened the deck and began to shuffle. "I'm going to show you a trick. All you have to do is figure it out. You do that, you can join the club."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm not so drunk that I can't pull off a card trick. And, yes, I'm serious. The club members are serious, too. They care about magic. I figured you were serious, too. Anybody willing to put in all the hours it takes to handle cards like you do has to be serious. Or crazy."
Duncan smirked. "I might be both."
"I suspect you are." Vincent sat on the side of the road. "You ready for this?"
Duncan sat next to him. "Okay. Let me see."
Vincent gave the deck to Duncan. "Go ahead and shuffle the cards."
As Duncan shuffled, he watched Vincent closely. When magicians performed tricks for each other, the tension always raised since they always knew they were being burned. In this case, though, Vincent invited, really demanded, that Duncan burn him â watch close enough to figure out the trick.
After the shuffle, Vincent took the cards and held them face down in his left hand. "Now, I'm going to deal cards until you tell me to stop, okay? Stop me whenever you want." Vincent started placing cards into a small pile on the road.
Duncan studied Vincent's hands, looking for a bottom deal or some other manipulation. After about eight cards, he said, "Stop." He hadn't seen anything wrong.
"Okay," Vincent said, a devious smile on his lips. He turned over the next card â the Seven of Hearts. "This is going to be our Magic Card." He then placed the rest of the deck on top of the card, so that the Seven was face up in the deck. He handed the deck to Duncan.
Duncan's face screwed up in confusion. "Why the heck would he care about magicians?"
"We're really good at cheating at cards, for one thing. For another, he's not."
"So he's jealous?"
"Who knows? He's a Jew and they're a strange lot."
Duncan bristled but kept his mouth shut. This was 1934. Anti-Semitism, like all forms of racism, wasn't necessarily frowned upon. Or even questioned, for that matter.
Wait a few years, Duncan thought. World War II might change a few minds.
Vincent shuffled his feet to a halt. He pointed into the sky as if he expected a UFO to appear suddenly. "Look there."
Squinting, Duncan said, "I don't see anything."
"Wait. It'll come."
A few seconds later, the sky lit up with Fourth of July fireworks. Reds and blues streamed across the sky while explosions popped everywhere. In between shots, Duncan could hear the dim noise of a crowd applauding.
"How close to town are we?"
"Not far," Vincent said. Minutes later, they passed under a lone streetlamp. "You'll be able to find your way back from here, no trouble." He started to walk away, then spun with a snap of his fingers. It all looked rather choreographed to Duncan. Especially when Vincent said, "You know what you should do? You should try to join my magic club. It's an amateur group, mostly, but we get together at the Magic Emporium and trade secrets, work on effects, and have fun. It's a blast. It's also a good place to lay low without seeming suspicious."
Duncan didn't quite catch why being in a club would make him any less suspicious, and he figured Vincent's drunkenness was doing the talking here. But joining the club might help him learn the area a little faster, would certainly provide a few new contacts, and might be the right kind of people to learn about a magic door. At the least, it would be a place from which to conduct his search for the door. "Okay, I'll join your club."
"Hold on, there. Not so fast." Vincent pulled out a fresh deck of cards with a red patterned back. "I know you can handle cards well, but everybody in the club has had to pass this test. I can't go making exceptions just because I nearly killed you in a car. That wouldn't be right." He opened the deck and began to shuffle. "I'm going to show you a trick. All you have to do is figure it out. You do that, you can join the club."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm not so drunk that I can't pull off a card trick. And, yes, I'm serious. The club members are serious, too. They care about magic. I figured you were serious, too. Anybody willing to put in all the hours it takes to handle cards like you do has to be serious. Or crazy."
Duncan smirked. "I might be both."
"I suspect you are." Vincent sat on the side of the road. "You ready for this?"
Duncan sat next to him. "Okay. Let me see."
Vincent gave the deck to Duncan. "Go ahead and shuffle the cards."
As Duncan shuffled, he watched Vincent closely. When magicians performed tricks for each other, the tension always raised since they always knew they were being burned. In this case, though, Vincent invited, really demanded, that Duncan burn him â watch close enough to figure out the trick.
After the shuffle, Vincent took the cards and held them face down in his left hand. "Now, I'm going to deal cards until you tell me to stop, okay? Stop me whenever you want." Vincent started placing cards into a small pile on the road.
Duncan studied Vincent's hands, looking for a bottom deal or some other manipulation. After about eight cards, he said, "Stop." He hadn't seen anything wrong.
"Okay," Vincent said, a devious smile on his lips. He turned over the next card â the Seven of Hearts. "This is going to be our Magic Card." He then placed the rest of the deck on top of the card, so that the Seven was face up in the deck. He handed the deck to Duncan.
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