Eugene Burger – Magical Voyages Part 3

EFFECT BREAKDOWN

Sinology

A simple story is told by the magician using two coins and a folded piece of paper. A Kennedy

half-dollar is introduced as a young man from America who meets a master from the East, introduced using
a Chinese coin. The student is troubled and asks for guidance and teaching from the master. The master
agrees and they enter into his hut; both coins are placed on the table. The student again becomes disturbed
and confronts the master. He says you will leave me one day, and I will be alone; the half dollar is placed
into the magicians pocket. The master responds that, if what he teaches is true, he cannot leave. The hut is
turned to the audience and both coins are there again. The student is sedated, but only briefly. Again he
confronts the master. He says, well perhaps you will not leave me, but what happens if I leave you; the half
dollar is removed from the hut and placed in the magicians pocket. The master responds that the student
cannot leave the master, because the master is the student; the hut is turned around and both coins have
disappeared.

Last Dream

The magician produces four index cards from his pocket; they are shaped like tombstones. He

tells the audience that he has been having a horrible reoccurring dream. In the dream, he is wandering
through a graveyard, stumbling upon tombstones. For the first week or two, he cannot read the names on
the stones; the stones are displayed to all be blank on both sides. Then, he dreamt again and he was able to
read one of the tombstones: it had his name on it. The tombstones are displayed again and one of them has
his name on it. The magician explains that, in a panic, he pushed the tombstone over and, suddenly his
name was gone; the tombstone is again displayed to be blank. The magician was slightly sedated, but
completely afraid to sleep again. He stayed up as long as he could, but finally exhaustion overcame him.
Again he slept and again he came upon the tombstone, but this time it had his dates of birth and death on it.
The cards are displayed again, this time with the magicians name on it, his birth date and the date of the
performance. The magician explains that, per folklore, if you discover the date of your death in a dream, it
is a curse and it will most certainly happen. The only way to avoid this fate is by passing the curse one.
This is done, the magician explains slowly, by telling the story to someone else.

The Inquisition (Card Warp)

The effect is presented as a highlight in the history of religion, although the term is used loosely.

Two cards are presented; a face card of one color and a number card of another color. The face card is a
poor peasant falsely accused of heresy; the number card is the torture device. The device is prepared as the
card is folded in the horizontal middle of the deck. The peasant is prepared by folding him/her in half
vertically. The torture device is inserted into the peasant as the magician takes on the role of torturer. The
device is then used to turn the peasant inside out. The peasant becomes confused and, as the magician
pushes the peasant, through the machine he/she turns inside out. When pushed the other way, the peasant
turns outside in. On good days, the peasant exists in both states at once, completely confused. Finally, the
peasant and the machine are torn in half and, yes, both side match and only the two cards were used.