and upwards on the outstretched band. ‘I think Joan’s ring shares those memories. It seems to want to climb to heaven so that it can be with her again.’
As the ring reaches three-quarters of the way up the rubber band, you glance at Amanda. You see she’s becoming quite emotional, touched by this strange experience. You pause, smile and hand the ring back. ‘I think this ring belongs here with you, Amanda. Thank you for sharing your memories of Joan. Cherish them always, won’t you?’
BEHIND THE SCENES
This can be an amazing experience, yet it almost works itself as it is part physics and part optical illusion. In fact, the ring never moves – not one millimetre. It is the rubber band that moves, under your control of course. Given a little practice in front of a mirror, you can create the appearance of motion and make the experience feel quite eerie.
In general, whatever objects you perform mind magic with, it is important that they look perfectly ordinary, so start by choosing a rubber band of the right colour, length and thickness for the job. Bright colours, such as blue or red, are not ideal, but good old brown rubber bands are perfect. Try to find some that will comfortably stretch to about 60 cm (2 ft) long. Width is not critical, but anything wider than about 3 mm (⅛ in) would be a little unwieldy.
For the rest of the explanation I will assume you are right-handed. If you are left-handed, you simply need to swap hands while you undertake the ring rise.
Thread the rubber band through a ring and pinch one end of the band between your right thumb and forefinger. Make sure you grip this end very firmly. With your left thumb and forefinger, pinch the band tightly about halfway along its length, leaving the remainder of the band resting in your left hand. The ring should be positioned on the section of band between your two hands.
Now stretch the band out between your hands as far as it will go, at the same time raising your right hand a few centimetres higher than your left so as to make a definite incline. Make sure you keep a tight grip with both hands. Gently shake the band to adjust the position of the ring so that it sits perhaps a quarter of the way along, nearest to your left hand.
Now comes the secret moves, which, when combined, produce the effect of movement. The first of these is ‘slipping’.
Gently release the pressure between your left thumb and forefinger, thus allowing the band remaining inside your hand to slowly slip through. The section of band stretched between your hands will become longer, but more importantly, the ring will appear to be moving away from your left hand and upwards along the band.
The second secret move is called ‘slacking’. Grip tighter again with your left thumb and finger, then gently bring your right hand towards the left, just a little. This slackens the band and compensates for the apparent increase in its length. It also has the effect of making the ring appear to be getting closer to the right hand, further enhancing the illusion of movement.
Given a little practice, you will be able to slip and slack simultaneously, giving the impression of a very smooth and spooky motion when, in fact, the ring never moves at all.
THE PERFORMANCE
Perhaps the most important thing to remember when performing this trick is that the sequence of events is critical to the overall impact.
Begin by showing interest in your friend’s ring, and try to get as much information as you can about it. Borrow it, examine it intently and compliment the owner on its beauty. If it is a modern ring, you might want to explain how it will always want to gravitate towards its owner (rising to heaven is not relevant with a modern ring).
Whatever you do, make sure you have created interest in the ring before you bring out the rubber band. Also, try to have it in your pocket for a credible purpose. In Amanda’s case, the band was around some envelopes, which will actually be used in the next trick. The band must appear insignificant: if it looks like you had it ready for this occasion, the effect of the trick could be diminished.
Therefore, at no point during your performance should you mention the band – it is just there.
In this trick actions will speak louder than words. Thread the ring on to the band and position yourself to perform the secret moves. Make sure, of course, that you have hidden the remaining portion of the band in your left hand and that no one is viewing from an angle where they can see what you are doing. Focus everyone’s attention on the ring and let them see it rise.
This trick is different from the previous one in that there is no definite climax as the ring never makes it to the very top, yet in Predictable Behaviour the moment of revelation is quite astounding. Thus, as it apparently reaches three-quarters of the way along the band, you pause for a moment, look at your friend and hand the ring back, saying that it clearly belongs to her, and perhaps we ‘shouldn’t disturb her Grandmother’s spirit’. Thus we have a moment of drama to provide a definite conclusion to the effect.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Performing ‘Ring-a-ring Arises’ teaches us a valuable lesson about magic in general. You may well have heard the term ‘misdirection’ used to describe the way in which a magician directs your attention away from something he doesn’t want you to see. On stage this could be a flash or a bang, but in a situation with friends a more subtle form of misdirection is used.
All the attention is placed on the ring: the rubber band is never actually mentioned. It just happens to be there around some envelopes, and is of no significance at all. When the ring moves, even if those in your audience believe they know how it was done, the rubber band is less likely to be in their minds. It’s a perfect illusion.
One final note. Rings are usually treasured personal items, often quite valuable. Treat the ring you borrow with great care and respect, and never do this trick in an environment where the ring could become lost if dropped.
⋆ ⋆ ⋆ WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY? ⋆ ⋆ ⋆
When Joseph Niépce invented photography in 1826, mankind took a great step forward. This invention allowed specific moments in time to be recorded accurately and quickly and captured exactly what was happening in the world.
Of course, there were those who had a means to do that already. Psychics and mystics believe in a phenomenon known as psychometry, where inanimate objects ‘record’ information from the environment around them and replay it in the form of vibrations. By simply holding a personal object in their hands, psychics claim to be able to determine who owns it, and other personal information related to the owner’s past, present and future.
This following exercise is an experiment in psychometry that, given a little acting on your part, will leave people talking about your wonderful insight.
You will need
• A small personal object borrowed from each person.
• Three envelopes, craftily prepared.
• A group of friends.
• A smattering of magic.
