Illusion | East Wenatchee, WA | 2014
Decades ago in Times Square, I watched an amazing street magician make things float and disappear. On his command, a white orb rose from a table and hovered in midair. He covered it with a silk cloth and, whispering a spell, made it vanish. He did the same with a woman’s watch, an open umbrella and, unbelievably, a live pigeon. Each time, he whispered the same exact spell to make magic happen just five feet from my own eyes. I never figured out the trick. This remarkable illusionist ended his performance by folding up his table, tipping his hat, and walking through the wall of the building behind him. We all gasped. One moment he was there and the next he was gone. Several members of the crowd, myself included, rushed to inspect where he’d “stepped through.” What we thought was a flat concrete wall actually hid an alcove invisible from where we’d stood. Trouble was, the alcove had no exit. Not a door or hatch or air vent. Through the years, I expected to see this remarkable young magician on TV or hear of him embarking on a world tour. But nothing. That evening on a sidewalk in New York City, he just disappeared.
IrwinFoto 