Smoke Rings By David Forrest

INTRODUCTION The linking card plot is an intriguing one that has seen many variations over the years and something of a revival in recent times. Perhaps the plots' best known proponent is Paul Harris, whose 'Cardboard Connection' (First released in 1977) started it all. 'Cardboard Connection' is an extremely practical and elegant solution to the linking cards but it is his later offering 'Immaculate Connection' (1983) that is considered to be the final answer on the subject by many, and with good cause. This routine has everything that good card magic should have. It is impromptu, requiring just three normal playing cards. It is extremely visual, in places often mimicking the type of optical delights you would find in an actual linking ring routine. It contains a torn and restored element to round everything off as though the beautiful linking of the cardboard rings wasn't magical enough. And finally, it is examinable upon its conclusion, something which I consider to be of the utmost importance with routines such as this. I suppose what I’m saying is, if this is your first linking card effect, it shouldn’t be your last. There are many brilliant and inspired routines and methods out there so do yourself a favour and check them all out. But, unreserved thanks, praise, credit, gold, frankincense and myrrh must surely go to Paul Harris who proposed the concept that inspired this, my own little offshoot. So, here is my humble contribution to the genre - 'Smoke Rings'. If I only had one playing card with which to do magic with, this is the routine that I'd do, bar none. There are no gimmicks or preparation of any kind. It's anywhere, anytime magic with nothing more than a single playing card. When you set yourself parameters like this in creating magic you have an uphill battle ahead of you, make no mistake. And sometimes you never reach the top. But then again sometimes you do. My only advice to you is that, as you read through the pages to follow, you try to visualise the routine as your spectators will see it, as a very perplexing linking card effect. Enjoy.

David Forrest.

PART 1. RIPPING THE RINGS Borrow a playing card or have any one freely selected and examined as you remove a marker from your pocket. It is not essential that the card be signed incidentally but I think it’s a nice touch. With the marker, draw a line about one fifth of the way down from the top of the card and ask your spectator to sign their name above the line. fig.01. You explain the reason for signing above the line is that most of the material below the line is soon to be removed which is the real reason so don’t feel guilty. When the card has been signed take it with the face towards you and with the signature at the right hand side. Fold the card in half so that the two long edges meet. Open it out and fold it back the other way, face out, to really make the crease definite. Return the fold to it’s original position with the back design showing. fig.02. The signature should still be at the right of the folded card.

FIG.01

FIG.02

Now you will make a tear in the card starting from the fold at the top and ending just short of the white border. The starting point for this tear is right in the centre of the little bike riding angel’s chest. fig.03. If you’re not using bikes, the tear should be made approximately one centimeter below the line that the spectator signed their name above. Of course, the line is on the inside of the card, you can’t see it, but you do know it’s approximate location - one fifth of the cards length from the right hand edge. FIG.03

Now you make a second tear in the card. This time you want to make your tear directly on or just below the line you drew on the inside. This should be approximately one centimeter to the right of your first tear. fig.04. During these actions you must have something to say. You don’t want your spectators paying too much attention to what you are doing and of course you haven’t mentioned anything to do with ‘linking’ at this stage so they are very much in the dark as to exactly what it is that you are doing. FIG.04

Now make a third tear, again approximately one centimeter from the left hand side of the card. fig.05. During this tear the two tears at the right hand side are obscured from the spectators view by the right hands position. Now orient the card so that the open long edges are to your right and the ‘double tear’ is towards you. From this position tear out the majority of the card. fig.06. Again, the double tear is kept from view with the right fingers at this point. Place the torn out section onto the table for now. OK, the next moves should flow directly into one another. You must open up the card like a book with the face towards you keeping the lower section of the card obscured by the fingers of both hands. There is a ‘bar’ of playing card right above the signature from your perspective. fig.07. As soon as the card has been opened up like a book, tear the ‘bar’ right down the crease at its centre and in a continuing action fold the left part in and around the face of the card. It is hidden from view behind the left fingers. fig.08 Press down firmly on it ensuring a very definite crease. FIG.05

Come over with the left fingers and tear the right hand tab off completely. fig.09. Take it from the left fingers at the right finger tips, crumpling it up and disposing of it in an ashtray or somewhere convenient. You can actually just leave it on the table, no one cares about it.

FIG.06

FIG.07

The whole subtext to these moves is that you are merely ‘tidying up’ your cardboard ring a little. Remember that they still don’t know what you are going to do so they have no reason to question anything up to this point. I have never had anyone question what ‘s going on here, not once.

FIG.08

FIG.09

Now you will revolve the card at your left fingertips and point out that the signature is still visible. This revolving of the card appears quite open and suggests that everything is exactly as it seems to be. Clip the card just below the tab in between the tips of your index and middle finger. fig.10. The left thumb now comes under the inner end and begins to push up, rotating the face of the card towards the spectator. fig.11.

FIG.10

FIG.11

FIG.12

When the card is almost full face towards the spectators, the middle finger releases it’s hold on the card and it is left pinched between thumb and forefinger. The forefinger still covers the tab from the spectators point of view and everything appears exactly as it should. fig.12. You must now tear a second, smaller ring out of the section that you removed earlier but you can’t really put the ring you’re holding down anywhere. The solution is to pull the ring back into your palm by curling the middle, ring and pinkie fingers inward. From this position, the ‘dirty’ part of the ring is kept completely from view but your index finger and thumb are free to tear out the middle section of the smaller piece. fig.13. shows the underside of the left hand as it holds the larger ring. In actual performance your spectators do not get as good a view as that which is illustrated here. So, retrieve the inner section of the card from the table and, using the index finger and thumb of the left hand, tear the centre out forming a second, smaller ring. fig.14. You can dispose of the centre piece, it is no longer required. Now, this is actually quite a crucial part of the routine. You must ensure that the width of the smaller ring is as close as possible to the width of the tab which is attached to the larger ring. If that doesn’t make sense to you right now, don’t worry, it soon will.

FIG.13

FIG.14

You’ll now display each ring as being completely solid, which they are, so it’s a good display. Unfold the smaller ring and display it as solid by tugging on opposite corners. fig.15. After the display let the smaller ring slip over your right index finger. You are now wearing it like a finger ring. The larger ring, which has remained in the position shown in fig.13. throughout all this is now brought forward and displayed in the exact same manner as the smaller ring. fig.16. You must ensure that the tab remains hidden beneath the thumb of course but you will find that the card automatically ends up in this position as it is brought forward to be displayed. Look at fig.13. again. From this position, the left thumb goes behind the card and it is brought forward into the position shown in fig.16, pinched between left thumb and forefinger. You are tilting the back of the card towards your spectators during this display. With both cards displayed as being completely solid you can move on to the actual linking of the rings.

FIG.15

FIG.16

PART 2. LINKING THE RINGS. With the larger ring facing your audience as in fig.12. (the tab being hidden by the left index finger as usual) work the small ring, which is being worn on the right index finger, to the right fingertips and fold it in half along it’s crease. (This is easy to do with one hand but the free left fingers can assist if need be.) Place the folded ring behind the large one with the bottom ‘leg’ of the ring perfectly aligned with the tab on the larger ring. fig.17. Your index finger still covers the tab from your audiences point of view. The right hand will now take over the left index fingers job of covering the tab from the front. The index finger of the right hand goes through the large ring and the right thumb pinches it at the back. Your left fingers are now free to unfold the flap of the smaller ring that is closest to you. The smaller ring should be opened out but not completely. It should be positioned exactly as in fig.18. which has the right hand omitted for clarity. As this flap is opened out the left index finger and thumb pinch tightly at the far left of the

FIG.17

FIG.18

tab and the right hand releases its grip on the card. From the front your spectators will be presented with some pretty strong evidence of linked cards. fig.19. You’ll now understand why the width of the ring in relation to the width of the tab is fairly crucial to the success of the illusion. Also, note that the illusion is helped along by tilting both rings slightly, as though the larger ring is actually hanging from the smaller one. FIG.19

After this image has registered you will unfold the smaller ring to clearly communicate that both rings are unmistakably linked. fig.20. I would advise that you keep hold of the rings with both hands when they are displayed like this. You will now fold the smaller ring up again so that you are holding both rings as shown in fig.17 on the previous page. The difference being that on this occasion the tab is not kept hidden by the left fingers. It looks as though the larger ring is hanging from the smaller one. This is a particularly nice display. fig.21.

FIG.20

PART 3. UNLINKING THE RINGS Now you will apparently tear the small ring in order to remove the large ring. Again, the following moves should flow into one smooth tearing action. You are pinching the small ring and the tab, which are perfectly aligned, between the thumb at the back and the index finger at the front. The larger ring, which is face towards the audience, appears to be hanging from the smaller ring.

FIG.21

FIG.22

With the right hand, take hold of the ‘leg’ of the large ring which appears to be linked through the small ring and twist it in an anti-clockwise direction so that now the back of the large ring faces the audience. fig.22. The smaller ring does not move at all during this action.

FIG.23

In a continuing action tear the tab off of the larger ring. fig.23.

Immediately, place the large ring down on the table and use the right fingers to open up the ‘torn’ ends of the small ring. fig.24. Of course, this is the tab masquerading as a torn part of the small ring. You’ll notice a discrepancy here in that the inside of one of the torn ends shows back design when it should be the face of the card. But, if discrepancies of this nature bother you, I’m guessing you probably would’ve stopped reading by now. Now you’ll heal the small ring and hand it out for examination. Open the small ring up and, with the tip of your left index finger covering the loose tab, pull the small ring to the right and rub where the gap should be between thumb and forefinger of the right hand. fig.25.

FIG.24

As you rub, the small tab is pulled into finger palm (literally, it is concealed in the folds of just one finger) by the left hand which takes the small ring and hands it out for examination. fig.26. You can ditch the tab at your leisure. Fin.

WHADAYASAY? Once you have all the finer details of the handling ironed out and you are ready to perform you are going to want to have something to say during the routine and hopefully whatever you choose to say will strengthen the effect. While I tear out the rings I usually joke about what a generous guy I am, tearing up my only deck of cards just so that they can witness a miraculous piece of magic. You are trying to convey that something special is going on here, something you don’t do all the time perhaps. This should ensure that you have everyone’s full attention and may even elicit a more enthusiastic reaction.

FIG.25

FIG.26

Immediately prior to the link I mention the Chinese linking rings. Everyone is familiar with this although you will often have to give them a few more details of the trick. I tell them that the first guy who ever did the linking rings had everyone dumfounded as to how he had managed to make two solid objects pass right through one another and...link...together. As you finish the sentence you are revealing the linked condition of the rings. In unlinking the rings and subsequently healing the small rings I continue: “Once they

are linked like this there really is only one way to unlink them again. You must break one of the rings.” You have ripped the tab off and are displaying the two ‘broken ends’ of the small ring. “But then you would accuse me of having a break in the ring from the very beginning. And this is the hardest part, healing the broken ring up again!” You hand out the small ring and watch them check for holes and tears which of course they will never find.

A FEW POINTS ABOUT ‘SMOKE RINGS’ As you’ve probably realised and as I mentioned just a moment ago there are some discrepancies in the routine. The short answer is that none of them really matter and they are never picked up. I’ll go over them and give you my thoughts in the hope that I can bring some calm to the more nervous among you. The back pattern on the small ring while in its linked state does not match up all the way around the ring. If you are seriously worried about this here is an experiment for you. Go out and ask as many lay people as you can to accurately describe the back design of a Bicycle brand playing card. I guarantee that they won’t know or they’ll give you a very, very vague description. Only magicians pay attention to this type of thing so please don’t worry about it, they won’t notice. At the end of the routine the small ring doesn’t perfectly fit inside the larger ring anymore, some of the card is missing. This is very true but again it is rarely noticed. Even if it is noticed you openly removed some extra material way back at the beginning of the routine. Just say: “Yeah, I tore some extra out to make the ring bigger.” Someone else will most likely remember you doing this and back your statement up. The large ring doesn’t hang or swing naturally while it is apparently linked to the smaller ring. Again this is true, but I’ve seen similar looking, ‘static’ links that are accomplished with gimmicks, or are un-examinable. I, myself have another, gimmicked linking card routine where one ring is seen to freely hang from the other, an ‘actual’ link you might say. Although I do still perform the gimmicked version I don’t do it nearly as much as this one for the simple reason that there is no preparation here whatsoever. The bottom line is, and don’t ask me why, but spectators don’t seem to mind the fact that the card does not hang ‘naturally’. I suppose it’s because they’ve never seen two linked playing cards before so they have nothing in their minds to compare it to. That coupled with the fact that the two rings really do appear to be linked allows this discrepancy to pass. A fact that I was very pleased to learn while road testing ‘Smoke Rings’. Well, I think I can hear the fat lady singing. I truly hope you liked ‘Smoke Rings’ but if you didn’t, don’t worry, you can always flog it on e-bay under the title “DAVID BLAINE TRICK!!!MAGIC SECRETS REVEALED!!!”. That should do it. Hey, you could even sell photocopies and keep the original! That way everyone wins! Woo-hoo!

© Copyright David Forrest 2005