|
This effect is commercial and funny. The original idea belongs to Terry Lagerould and I saw it published in the AUSTRALIAN MAGIC MAGAZINE several years ago. Here the plot remains the same but the handling has changed. The idea of also having the “cheese” caught in the trap was suggested by Bruce Goldstein.
EFFECT:
The magician explains how to make a mouse trap with several cards. With the trap, he captures the “mouse”! (Really the A )
REQUIREMENTS:
Have a duplicate of any card (say the 5 ) with a bunch of small holes in it as shown in Figure 1.
SET UP:
With the deck face down, from top to bottom you have: the regular 5 followed by the 5 with the holes.
PERFORMANCE:
Take out the A saying that it is a mouse. In fact, it has the pointed nose (indicate the point at the top of the Spade character) and a tail (indicate the base of the Spade character). Take out any pair from the deck (say the two red 9s) saying that they represent the mouse trap. Leave the three cards face up on the table.
Say that you need cheese for the trap. Give the deck a False Cut and then turn over the top card (5), show it and then place it face down between the two face up 9s. When you make holes through the card, take care not to punch the white border so you don’t have to worry about spectators seeing the holes on the top card of the deck. (The holes will not show when punched in the colored design area.) In case you are a “worried-type person”, keep the deck tilted slightly upwards.
Bring the sandwich on top of the deck and secretly add the holed 5 beneath the three cards held in the right hand. The left thumb slides off the top face up 9 onto the deck which is held in the left hand. Then the left thumb slides off the face down 5 onto the deck. Place the last two cards as one on the top keeping a little finger break between them and the deck. Double Undercut them to the bottom saying that you must now set the trap for the mouse inside the house (the deck).
The right hand takes the A and places it face down on the bottom of the deck. Turn the deck face up and keep it in the left hand as you would to perform a Hindu Shuffle. The right hand pulls out and takes the bottom half of the deck leaving the bottom card in the left hand (Figure 2) which ends up below the top half which falls directly onto it. The cut portion is then placed on top of the left hand cards directly on top of the A. Automatically, the A and the holed card end up between the 9s.
 
Spread the deck face down between the hands showing the “sandwich” in the middle. Table the four card “sandwich” and turn over the face down cards between the 9s to show the A captured by the trap along with the holed card and say that although trapped, the mouse was able to eat some cheese!
NOTES:
-
At the end of the trick, the regular 5 is on top of the face down deck. I leave it there and proceed with other effects without bothering about it; I don’t think it’s necessary to eliminate it.
- Although I do not feel it’s necessary, you can force the 5 to a spectator instead of finding it apparently causally, with the cut.
|
