The Torn and Restored Paper Napkin

An ordinary paper napkin. When I say ordinary, I mean no reflection on the napkin. The idea of this simple thing is to take the paper and tear it into bits. You tear it like this in pieces. You have to tear it to make pieces. Then the idea is to roll it in a small ball and make it come out whole. You just BLOW on the pieces like this and then take the two corners and you see the piece is all wholly restored again.

(Hold palm with pieces so that some in audience can see them and when you see someone laugh or whisper, look at hand and say to party.) "Did you see the other piece?" Well, I should have been standing more at the left. (Nod at party you spoke to.) The lady happened to see the other piece. Well, I don't care, as long as she knows, I'll show every one. It's a simple thing. You really do use two pieces. You call this Piece #1. (Take up a piece and the extra one too.) You roll this In a tiny ball and keep this palmed in the right hand like this. Always hold the outside of the hand towards the audience so they can't see the piece there. They're not supposed to know you have an extra piece. You have to watch these magicians they're all fakes. Tricky, you know. Then you take up a napkin like this and say, "Ladles and Gentlemen, I have an ordinary napkin, and you start tearing in two bits, four bits, six bits and some small change, and when you get it torn in say, 36 or 38 pieces you roll it up in a small ball and to be successful, you just swap the pieces over here. (Right hand.) and the whole piece over here. (Left hand.) Then you blow. Course the blowing has nothing to do with the trick. A lot of people think that the blowing makes the paper come out whole again. Then all you have to do is take the two corners, open them up and show the paper is once more wholly restored again.

(Throw this away after putting nonchalantly the pieces with them, CRUMBLE UP AND TOSS AWAY ON THE FLOOR. Then call attention to what is apparently the pieces.) Now if anyone ever sees you do the trick, like the lady over there. (Point to party.) saw me do it, the only way you can get out of it is to blow twice on the pieces, instead of once, and if you're really a good magician like I am, you can open up the pieces also and show that THEY, too, are once more fully restored again.

(Bow.)