At times, while he talked to his audience, the
magician would rub this threadbare piece of cloth between his
thumb and fingers, as if it were a good luck charm or magic
amulet. Sometimes he would hold the piece of cloth and whisper
to it. Perhaps this was just a nervous habit or (if I let my
imagination get the better of me) perhaps the cloth contained
his secret to some awesome powers over science and nature. Maybe
this strange talisman contained his secret to the mysteries of
life. Whatever it was, I knew that the cloth was important to
him.
"Hurry, gather round, while the good
seats are available," the magician proclaimed as he walked
up to spectators who were intent on walking by and dragged them
by the arm over to a predetermined spot. The magician was a true
master at drawing himself a paying crowd. The unsuspecting
onlookers would pause and sometimes laugh out loud, knowing that
the fun was about to begin. Rarely did people seem unsure about
joining in. But if they were, with a smile and a wink, the
charming conjurer would always make them relax, kick back, and
stay awhile.
"So, did you two call ahead for a
reservation?" he quipped as he grasped a middle-aged woman
and her son, adding them to the circle.
"Was that smoking or nonsmoking?" he
asked, just for a laugh, of a little round-bellied boy who
seemed more intent on eating his chocolate ice-cream cone than
watching a magician.
He took one of the attractive young girls by
the arm, asking, "Would you like to stand next to somebody
famous?" Then he said in a rhyme, "You are, sweetheart
... me! The amazing, incredible, astounding ...
Maximillion Vi!"
His resonant voice and cunning wit quickly
attracted a sizable audience with two hundred or more people,
young and old alike, now forming a circle around this unique
street entertainer. I almost had to consider myself lucky; being
one of the first to get there, I now stood at the front edge of
his crowd.
For his opening Maximillion Vi performed
silent magic that truly was wonderful to watch. Like an
elaborate dance, he pulled cards and silver coins out of thin
air. Objects that he borrowed from the audience would vanish,
only to reappear under his hat or in a spectator's pocket or
purse.
