A while back I was on eBay searching for silver coins. I came across one auction for Chinese silver coins. There were 20 of them and the starting bid was a dollar. Nobody had bid and there was about an hour left. They were a little bigger (not much) than US silver dollars. I thought, "What the heck" and I bid a max of $5.

I won for a dollar.Then I found out that the shipping and handling was $18. I should have checked that. So, still a buck a piece! I anxiously awaited them.

They took forever to arrive but then I understood. They actually came from China! That's OK. I started trying to shine them. I had no interest in collecting Chinese coins. I wanted them for my Miser's Dream. They wouldn't shine like silver.

I wrote the seller and discovered that they aren't Chinesee silver, they are Chinese Silver. That's a metal that's 20% silver and 80% nickel. They weren't about to shine up much. Oh well, my fault for not reading the ad well. I figured they cost about what good palming coins would cost.

I do one routine with four coins. For those of you that have Bobo's Modern Coin Magic, it's Winged Silver (done with four coins) followed immediately by Gaddabout Coins.

Well, I was at the gym yesterday. While I was working out I noticed a middle aged man patiently working out with a young man that had Down's Syndrome. Something told me that the young man was his son. One of the leading causes of Down's Syndrome is getting pregnant late in life and it just seemed that was what had happened here. The man was obviously very affectionate and protective of the young man and the young man never strayed more than a couple of feet from the elder.

After my workout I was awaiting my wife to finish in the shower. I was practicing with the billiard balls. I did a nice color change and heard, "WOW! Is that magic?"

I glanced up to see the young man with his father right behind him, smiling.

Now, ladies and gentlemen, there was no shame to this young man's condition. It was not his fault nor the fault of the father. Still, with the slanted eyes, sloping forehead, large lower lip and thick neck, people tend to try to avoid eye contact with people afflicted with Down's. The biggest problem that they have is that they learn slowly. Their emotions are just the same as your's and mine.

I turned to him, looked him in the eye and said, "Well, it's as close to magic as I can come, here, you got 3 minutes?" The father was nodding.

"Look at these, have you ever seen anything like them?" I handed him 3 chinese coins. "No...." Well, look". I held my left fist out to the side with the back of the hand up. I took one coin in my right fist, back up.

"If I squeeze this coin". I opened my left hand and the coin had travelled. "Woooow, magic", he said.

"Think so?" I took another coin with my right, my right hand jerked, there was a clink in my left and two coins there. "Wooooow"

I did the same with the third coin. All three travelled invisibly from right hand to left. I dropped the coins in his hand again.

"They like to stay together though". I put on in my left hand, a second in my left hand. The third in my pocket. Opened my right hand and all three coins were there.

I won't bore you with the remainder of Gaddabout Coins, but there was an exclamation of joy at every phase.

"Look here's a different coin though. Like the others it came to me all the way from China. This coin is magic just like the others. I was told that if you hold this coin it will remind you that people love you and you'll never have to feel lonely again. It's magic against loneliness." I dropped the coin into his palm.

"This is one of the most powerful coins that I have. Now I give it to you." The boy's face was lit up like a spotlight. His father looked like he was going to cry. As they walked out of the gym I heard the young man say to his father, "I think he IS magic."

You know, sometimes I really am magic. That trick cost me a buck. I'll probably remember that performance as long as the young man does. It was one of the most important performances that I've ever done and it was in a tiny gym in Salem, Massechusetts for an audience of 2.

What a wonderful and inspirational story! We are all too often worried about our performance that we forget the experience for those watching. It really is magic. Thanks for sharing.

Dan.

Thanks for the post.
It gave me chills.

You know what I have to say.....

YOU ARE MAGIC.

That is what makes me feel PROUD to be a magician. My respect goes off to you.

My suggestion is to try to find the kid again. I know he needs as MUCH of a smile as possible. It would be nice if you could deliver it ONCE in a while. Kinda like a guardian angel........

Also get informed on kids similar to him: he might know and perform for them.

THEY are not concearned about the "method."They will never be hecklers. They will treat you as THE ARTIST you are since the start.

Again , GREAT JOB.

Very nice story.

Not only did you add something to that young man's day, but to his father's as well. In working with kids with disabilities you come to realize how they can be discriminated against, even inadvertantly, and how protective and worried about them their parents can be.

You make the day for this poor guy, maybe the week!

I'd loved the story, thank you for sharing.

Brilliant. Brilliant. That was amazing. Because I do magic for the Special Education kids at my high-school, I know well the feeling of their beaming faces. It can make your whole entire school day not only tolerable, but enjoyable.

Stunning applause to you my friend,
Monte

Lovely moment for you and the Father and son. You have the soul of a poet.

Now, about practising your Billiard Balls in public....

- entity

There is actually very hard to say something here right now ... don't wanna sound like somekind of a ...guy but... that story brings a tear into my eye

I'm inspired. I'm going to try to find organizations that work with people like him so I can volunteer. Does anybody know of any organizations that specialize in people like this that I can contact?

Oh yeah, Entity. I was practicing manipulations with the billard balls. Wasn't using the s**ll. So no chance of someone walking up behind me. Besides, I'm pretty good with them, been doing them a long time. My wife was just taking so long that day and I had run through my entire coin repetoire and my sponge balls, so I was down to the bottom of my gym bag.

Try local hospitals and such. That's the best place I know of to do inspiring performances. I love performing and then knowing I have given or changed something in positive way and impacted the audience's life with my magic. Really inspiring to continue on..

Thank you for the story. I gave me that "butterfly" feeling =D

WOW, if this story isn't a motivator, I don't know that is. I think you have helped many of us remember why we first got into magic in the first place.

I really need that rik. Thank you so much for being the person you are!

Kent

...And that's the purpose of a magician.

rikbrooks,
thanks a lot for that, that was Inspiring.

I was expecting to read a "A made this girl scream" story...instead you showed us all the reason why magicians exist. thanks again.

The One

You gave me goosebumps...amazing

Wow.that is so great!
a lot of people don't have the chance to see magic up close and live.
and you did just that for this kid. I applaud you!

I agree with what everyone else has said so far. In a world is &@*#(-ed up as ours in recent years, it's so gratifying to find humanity and wonderment in the most unlikeliest of places and be reminded that goodness is just as alive as ever. If only it needs to be heard so the rest of us can be reminded of it.

Thanks

Peter

Wonderful story. I read it twice. I don't think this boy will have a nice week from that. I think he will remember that day as long as he keeps the coin. maybe his entire life.

Jah

I wonder if this is "moral" or "immoral"...
This is nowhere as moving as the original post...
but, when we were goin through our biggest, and the only oral english exam of the year, we were supposed to give out 15 minute non-prepared talk on a passage from 5-6 works that we worked on over past year.
A friend of mine was really friengtened that she would not get any of the passages that she studied for, and she was down to a point where she was almost shivering or fainting..
I got up, did the OTW for her and told her that all she had to do was concentrate and do her thing, and everything would be fine.
She went in the exam room with a broad smile.
Now, it was a huge gamble on my part in that she might not have gotten the passage she had studied for.. so I fooled her bigtime and took my gamble.
Is that... "okay" do you think?

(Sorry for sticking this in your thread Mr rtbrook ><....but I really didn't want to start another thread for this small thing..

<<<<dumbstruck, silently agreeing with what Jaz said.