The Oracle
By David T. Bamberg (Fu Manchu)HERE is a little card trick which I have used myself to great advantage on occasions. It is a particularly good little affair to start things going. You remark about something that happened to you and say: "I knew that was going to happen because I saw it in the cards when I read my fortune last night."
Now this never fails because the girls almost jump down your throat: "Can you tell fortunes in the cards?" And they beg you to read the cards ... and from then on it's plain sailing, the ice is broken.
The effect of the trick is as follows: You look at a girl and remove a Queen from the pack. If she has black hair, the Queen of Spades; chestnut hair, clubs; blond, hearts; and ash-blonde or platinum. diamonds. Now go through the pack and explain the meaning of various cards in this fashion:
Nine of Hearts is the fulfillment of a wish, the wishing card. The Ten of Clubs is a water journey. The Nine of Clubs a land journey. The Ten of Diamonds, riches. Seven of Clubs, marriage. Ten of Spades, disappointment. The Ace of Spades. death. Three Queens together, scandal. Three Jacks, a fight. Three Kings, good business. There are many other things, but there are books about it and you can find your own combination. The Seven of Hearts is a Ides. The cards are shuffled, then you tell the fortune of the young lady who has selected a card, which is shuffled into the pack.
The pack is turned face down on the palm of the left hand and dealt face-up on the table as shown in the illustration. As the cards are dealt, you say: "An Ace and a Three. Does that mean anything to you? No?" (Deal one card under the upper two, a Five. Deal four more, an Ace, a Nine, a Three and another Nine. Then three more under those, a Ten, a Two and a four. Then one card, which represents the girl.) Stop. point to the cards and say: "It has been told by the cards, that (point to the first two cards, upper row) on the 13th day of the fifth month, May (point to the Five 19- 3-9, nineteen hundred and thirty-nine (use the date of your performance) at exactly (point to the three card row) 10:24 by the clock, that you (point to the Queen) will be (turn over the next card. the selected card-the Seven of Hearts) kissed by (turn over the last card, a Jack, fair or light as the case may be) a dark young man. Permit me." And you kiss the young lady (on the hand, if you are in doubt). And her fortune is told.
This always gets a big hand. It's really very fine and although it is not a very subtle trick. it is marvelous for breaking the ice and getting on good terms with everyone and holding their interest.
Now. I have two methods to do this trick. Sometimes I have the cards already stacked except for the hour and minute row, and while I select the cards to explain their meaning in telling fortunes, I give myself about four or five minutes and set the "three row," while showing the cards. I use a blank card should the minute be zero. For the 20th of May I use two Tens. For the 21st, I use a Two-spot and an Ace. Don't use pictures to represent 11, 12. etc. Use two Aces. etc. I use a short Jack of Clubs as a key card. I have the Queen above it with the Seven of Hearts, which must be forced. The shuffling is faked with a lot of loose talk about gipsies and so forth. As this is not presented as a card trick, they suspect nothing and you can get away with murder. I have had some lovely kisses. The second method is to stack a borrowed pack as you go through it explaining the meaning of the cards.