Tag: magic trick

VOILA!

Bob pulled open the door and stepped to the side.  Woodruff cupped his ears with his hands.

“Why are you holding both ears?”

“WHAT?”

“Why are you covering your ears?”

“I CAN’T HEAR YOU.  I’M COVERING MY EARS.”

Woodruff walked through the doorway and stepped into the cozy waiting room.  There was a counter at the far side of the room with a clipboard, next to a jar of pens, and a silver bell.  Bob leaned over the counter to look for a receptionist.  Hands still over his ears, Woodruff rang the bell with his forehead.

A short frizzy haired woman with a bright smile stepped out from behind a filing cabinet.

“May I help you?” the frizzy hair woman said.

“Yes, we called ahead about a removal.”

“HELLO.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said.  “Woodrow, right?”

“Woodruff,” Bob corrected.

“MY NAME IS WOODRUFF.”

Bob reached up and pulled Woodruff’s hands down to his side.

“Stop shouting,” Bob said.  “You sound like a crazy person.”

“I couldn’t exactly make out what the problem was on the phone through all the hysteria,” the frizzy haired woman said.

“First of all, Alice,” Bob said, reading her name tag.  “I wasn’t hysterical, that’s my emergency voice.  And second, my friend here has a coin stuck in his ear.”

“I HAVE A COIN STUCK IN MY EAR.”

“Why are you still yelling?” Bob said.  “Can you not hear us?”

“WHAT?  I CAN’T HEAR YOU.”

“How many coins does he have in there?”

“Just one I think.”

“Fill out this form and I’ll be right back.”

Bob pulled a pen from the jar, took the clipboard from Alice, and found a seat next to an end table overflowing with magazines.  Woodruff stared at a stereogram picture on the wall and rubbed gently at his ears.

“Woodruff, do you have any allergies besides faux leather?”

Woodruff continued to stare at the picture.

“Woodruff!”

“I SEE A SAILBOAT.”

“Okay,” Bob said, and continued to write.  “Allergies, none.  Reason for visit…”

“AND A DOLPHIN.”

“Coin in the ear.”

Bob completed the form and reported back to the counter.  With a great big smile, Alice accepted the clipboard and took a moment to look it over.

“All right, bring him on back,” Alice said.  “I’ll go get Doctor Professor.”

“Doctor Professor?”

“Yes, Doctor Daniel Professor.”

Alice opened the door to the right of the counter and Bob escorted Woodruff down the hallway, following the receptionist.  She gestured to an open door and swapped a green flag for a red one.  Woodruff sat on the elevated table at the center of the room and Bob took a seat on a round stood with wheels.

“Doctor Professor will be in to see you shortly.”

She closed the door behind her, leaving Woodruff and Bob alone.

“DID SHE SAY DOCTOR BLOOD PRESSURE?”

“No, Doctor Professor.”

“BELLWETHER?”

“Pro-fessor.”

“PROTESTER?”

“Pro-fess-or.”

The door opened and a tall slender man in a white coat entered.  He removed his glasses and squinted down at the clipboard.  A grin broke across his face and he put his glasses back on.

“I see we have a classic coin in the ear situation,” Doctor Professor said.  “Usually this only happens with small children.”

“DOCTOR PROPELLER, I HAVE A COIN IN MY EAR.”

“Forgive him,” Bob said.  “He can’t hear.”

“I CAN’T HEAR ANYTHING.”

“Okay, well, let’s see what we’re dealing with.”

The doctor pulled out a pen light and shined it in Woodruff’s ear.

“What kind of coin are we looking at?”

“Two pence.”

“Two pence?”

“Yeah, it’s a beautiful coin,” Bob said.  “Mint condition.  You know, before it was embedded in his ear canal.”

“How did he get two pence stuck in his ear?”

“The usual way.  A pretty girl, a magician, a volunteer from the audience, a random coin, it happens.”

“I LIKE YOUR DOLPHIN PICTURE IN THE LOBBY.”

“So he was the volunteer from the audience?”

“No, he’s the magician.”

“Huh?”

The paper crinkled beneath Woodruff as he squirmed from side to side and watched Bob and the doctor.

“You know the old coin behind the ear trick?”

“Sure.”

“Well that’s old news.  We wanted to do something different, something fresh.”

“Uh huh.”

“In our act the volunteer pulls the coin from behind the magician’s ear.”

“So how did the coin get in his ear then?”

“A magician never tells his secrets.”

“I’M A MAGICIAN.”

The doctor shook his head and walked over to the workstation behind Bob.  He rooted around in a drawer for a moment and produced a long pair of tweezers.

“We’ll have that out in a jiffy.”

“WHAT GYPSY?”

Ignoring his extra loud patient, Doctor Professor shined his pen light down Woodruff’s ear canal and carefully lined up the tweezers.  He reached in on pulled out a wax coated coin and showed it to Woodruff and Bob.

“Voila!” Doctor Professor said.

“IS THAT THE COIN FROM MY EAR?”

“Why are you still talking so loud?” Bob asked.

“BECAUSE IF IT IS, I STILL CANNOT HEAR.”

With a grimace, the doctor shined his handy pen light in Woodruff’s ear again.

“There’s something else in there.”

“There is?”

Bob failed to conceal a wry smile.  Doctor Professor eyed him skeptically before he turned his attention back to Woodruff, who was also smiling.

“What’s going on?” the doctor asked.

“What do you mean?”

“IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE IN THERE?”

Doctor Professor pursed his lips and shot a squinty-eyed look at the grinning companions.  He turned his attention, and his pen light, back on the blockage.  With precision, he grasped hold of the obstruction and pulled out a blue handkerchief.  The backend of the cloth diamond was still in Woodruff’s ear so he pulled again and out popped a yellow handkerchief, attached to the blue one.  This was repeated over and over as red, orange, green, and purple followed.  Finally, a pair of polka dot underpants slipped out of the previously obstructed duct and dangled from the end of the handkerchief rainbow rope.

“VOILA!” Woodruff said.

He hopped off the exam table and clasped hands with Bob.  They raised their arms in the air and took a deep bow.

“AND THAT’S MAGIC.”

“Why are you still shouting?”

“I DON’T KNOW, I THINK I GOT USED TO TALKING LIKE THIS.”

“Are you telling me that you came here to do a magic trick?” the doctor asked.

“Sure did,” Bob said.  “We’re going to revolutionize the craft.”

“By doing unsolicited tricks for free to an audience of one?”

“That’s right.”

“Actually there’s a $40 copay,” Doctor Professor said.  “So this act is going to cost you.”

“BUT DID YOU ENJOY THE SHOW.”

“It’s a neat trick, but how did you fit all that stuff in there?”

“MAGIC.”

Woodruff raised his hands to the sides of his face and twinkled his fingers.

“All right, well, you can pay Alice on your way out.”

“About that,” Bob said.  “Would you accept coupons for half off admission to our next show?”

“Uh no.”

“OKAY.  WELL, YOU’VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE.  BE SURE TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS.”

“No.”

Doctor Professor shook his head and pulled open the office door.  Woodruff and Bob stepped out into the hallway and headed for the lobby.

“I think you were right, Woodruff.  Gorilla Magicianing is probably one of those ‘ahead of its time’ ideas.”

“I TOLD YOU SO.”

A Pocket Full of Danger

“Two noble adventures strode deep into the heart of darkest Africa.  Why would they brave this treacherous continent?  How might their mettle be tested?  What treasure lies in their path?  When will they reach their breaking point?  Who will rescue them from the brink of insanity?  Where in the hedge are they?”

“Are you going to narrate our entire trip?” Woodruff asked.

“It’s likely,” Bob replied.

“A bird flew over Woodruff’s head and nearly pooped on him.  Bob was not worried because of his wicked-sweet Panama hat that Woodruff foolishly mocked.”

“It doesn’t make sense to wear a Panama hat in Africa.  You wear a Panama hat in South America,” Woodruff said.  “And stop talking about yourself in the third person.  And stop using the narratory voice.”

“Bob ignores his foolish friend and presses forward boldly through the dense jungle vegetation.”

“There’s no way of stopping this, is there?” Woodruff said.

“Nope,” Bob replied.

“The dangers of the rain forest are real and ever-present but these elect explorers eat danger for breakfast.”

“You had six waffles and a half can of sardines for breakfast,” Woodruff said.

“Fueled by desire…”

“And sardines,” Woodruff interrupted.

“…these heroes trekked where no one else dared.”

“We literally passed a bus load of tourist from Florida like an hour ago,” Woodruff said.

“Discovery was their byword and Adventure their middle name.”

“Your middle name is Carroll,” Woodruff scoffed.

“That’s a unisex name and everybody knows it, whispered the gallant gentleman explorer.  Undaunted by the naysayers, this valiant voyager led them onward to destiny and to glory.”

“And mosquitoes,” Woodruff said as he swatted at the tiny insects in his face.

“I told you, you should have bribed that mosquito king in Kananga like I did,” Bob replied.  “Haven’t had a bite since.”

“My integrity is worth more than a couple dozen bug bites,” Woodruff said, scratching at his arm vigorously.

“Suit yourself,” Bob said.  “Usiniache mimi peke yake, mdudu!”

The swarm of mosquitoes parted and flew around Bob.  As soon as he passed the swarm surrounded Woodruff.

“You don’t even know what you’re saying,” Woodruff said and swatted at the attacking mosquitoes.

“Like my granddad always said, if it ain’t bit don’t scratch it,” Bob replied.

Woodruff unleashed a torrent of bug spray on the swarm and the mosquitoes fled the humid confines of their dense jungle surroundings.

“He did not say that.”

“Did too.”

“No one has ever said that.”

“Well, Mr. Smarterella, I just did, so there.”

Bob pushed aside a group of thick leaves to reveal a teeny tiny man carrying a bundle of sticks on his head.  At the sight of Woodruff and Bob the little man dropped the bundle and ran back into the jungle.

“An African leprechaun!” Bob shouted.

“It’s a pygmy,” Woodruff correct.

“That’s offensive, Woodruff.”

“A pygmy is a term for an adult who is less than a meter and a half.”

“A meter, a barely know her.”

Woodruff stopped and shook his head.  Several dark little men emerged through the bush, carrying spears.  The tribesman surrounded Woodruff and Bob with the threatening spears pointed up at their torsos.

“Holy Websters!” Bob exclaimed.  He put his hands in the air and Woodruff did the same as they moved to stand back to back.

“Easy there,” Woodruff said.  “Friends.  We’re friends.”

“Of course we’re friends,” Bob said.

“I was talking to them.”

“Oh, right.”

“Unataka nini,” the diminutive leader spoke.  He wore a colorful band on his head and arms.

“What did he say?” Bob asked.

“No idea,” Woodruff replied.  “Try that thing you said to the mosquitoes.”

“Usiniache mimi peke yake, mdudu,” Bob said.

The pygmy warriors began shouting and thrusting their spears at Woodruff and Bob.  Their little faces were contorted in anger as they yelled and spit.

“Take it back,” Woodruff said.  “Say you’re sorry.”

“You’re sorry,” Bob replied.

“Not the time,” Woodruff said.  They dodged the tips of the spears and kept their hands raised in surrender.

“What do we do?” Bob asked.

“Dunno,” Woodruff replied.

“Show ‘em your magic trick,” Bob said.

“What?  Why?” Woodruff replied.

“You got a better idea?” Bob asked.

“Fine,” Woodruff said.  “Does anyone have a quarter?”

The tiny warriors stopped growling and looked at one another.

“Tough crowd.”

“I’ve got a stale Vanilla Wafer from last week.”

“You told me there were no more Vanilla Wafers.”

“Do you want the cookie or not.”

“Fine, give me the wafer.”

Bob reached into the side pocket of his cargo pants and produced a small round cookie.  Woodruff took the cookie and waved it around in the air in a showman like fashion.  He and Bob turned in a synchronized circle so that all the little men could get a look.

“Watch carefully,” Woodruff instructed.

Woodruff brought his free hand over the cookie and quickly separated them to show the warriors his empty hands.  A murmur rolled through the crowd.  Woodruff reached over to the man in the colorful headband and placed his hand behind their leader’s ear.  When he produced the cookie once more and displayed it for all to see, a shout rose up from the shocked audience.

“Tada!” Bob exclaimed.

Woodruff popped the cookie in his mouth and began to chew.

“It’s not stale at all,” Woodruff accused.

“Fine, I always keep cookies in my pockets,” Bob admitted.

“I knew it!” Woodruff said.  “That explains why there’s always crumbs on your shirt.”

“I told you, that’s a dermatological issue.”

“More like a dessertatological issue.”

“Ignoring you!”

The tiny men, who had grouped together and lowered their spears, were watching Woodruff and Bob suspiciously.

“What do we do now?” Woodruff asked out of the corner of his mouth as he gazed down on the half-point hostage-takers.

Bob thought for a moment.  “How about this?”

He pulled a piece of bubble gum from his cookie pocket and popped it in his mouth.  After several seconds of chewing, Bob blew a big pink bubble the size of his fist.  With a dramatic flick he pulled the bubble from his mouth and displayed it for the awestruck onlookers.  Their leader, with the colorful headband, bowed himself to the ground and all his companions followed.  They began chanting something neither Woodruff or Bob could understand.

“What’s happening?” Bob asked.

“I think they’re worshiping us,” Woodruff replied.

“Cool.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean, maybe?”

“Well, this could go one of two ways…”

“Go on…”

“Well, either they are worshipping us, like I said,” Woodruff began.  “And we’re going to be taken back to their village, fanned with palm fronds, feast on their bounty and riches, and live out our days as gods.  Or…”

“Or…?” Bob questioned.

“Or they’re praying to a pagan deity who requires human sacrifice,” Woodruff continued.  “And they’re going to take us back to their village, rub us down with wildebeest lard, cook us, and eat us.”

“Oh no.”

“I know.”

“I’m allergic to wildebeest lard.”

“We’ve got to get out of here.”

“I don’t want to be rude,” Bob said.

“Are you kidding me?” Woodruff asked.

“What if we wait to see what lard they’re going to rub us down with first?”

“Bob!”

“Fine.”

“We need a distraction,” Woodruff said as the men rose up from their prostrated position.  The pink bubble gum bubble in Bob’s hand popped and collapsed against his fingers.  Bob hurled it over the sea of tiny heads into the bush.

“Run!” Bob shouted as the men turned to watch the pink blob fly through the air.

Woodruff and Bob turned around and plunged through the thick jungle vegetation.  Woodruff turned around and saw Bob was also looking behind them.

“Are they coming?” Woodruff asked.

“No,” Bob replied.  “And I think their little chief is eating my gum.”

They continued to run for several minutes until they were sure they had traveled to a safe distance.  Woodruff raised his arms up, put his hands on his head and tried to draw in deep breaths.  Bob doubled over and placed his hands on his knees while he panted at the ground.  After their racing hearts calmed, they both turned and looked back the way they had come.

“Our heroic adventures barely escaped with their lives from the menacing jungle horde.  Humbled, wiser but no better looking, because, seriously, how are you gonna improve on this action.”

Woodruff rolled his eyes.  Bob reached into the side pocket of his cargo shorts, pulled out a Vanilla Wafer, popped it in his mouth and began to chew.

“Can I have a cookie?” Woodruff asked.

Bob’s eyes grew big as he sheepishly swallowed the masticated wafer.  “That was my last one.  Scout’s honor.”

He crossed his heart and covered the opening to his cookie pocket with his other hand.