Many, many magic tricks work by having an obvious explanation that—so the audience thinks—would require such an absurd level of work on the part of the magician that it can’t possibly be the right answer. But it is. (“But that would require you to have 52 separate decks of cards, all ordered in a precise way, secreted on your person at all times!” Yup. Good trick, huh?)
That’s how I pulled this trick off one glorious night in 1995. “But that would have required you to get a cherry stem from the bar two hours ago before we all bundled into this booth, tied it into a knot with your hands before we even sat down, and then kept it under your tongue the whole time while you manipulated the conversation in a way that the cherry-stem thing came up organically!” Yup. Good trick, huh?
Theresa D. from Akron, Ohio, if you’re reading this, I am not responsible for your faulty inferences and regret nothing.
