Marucci's Bizarre Bazaar

The Mark of Lucifer
by Peter Marucci

“Sometimes, as magicians or purveyors of the dark arts, we are accused of being in league with the devil.

“Nothing could be further from the truth.

“As much as most magicians would like to perform miracles, what they do is all done by trickery or illusion.

“Note that I said ‘most’ magicians.

“Let me demonstrate.”

The magus takes out a blue-backed deck of cards and has one chosen. It is remembered, returned to the deck, and the deck is shuffled.

“Normally, if I wanted to find your card, I would use some form of control of the cards – in other words, trickery. (As he says this the magus is spreading the deck from hand to hand face down, showing all the blue backs.) However, this time I am going to enlist the aid of my little friend, Lucifer. (At this point, the magus comes across a red-backed card and he stops. On the back of the red backers is a picture of the devil.)

“What was the name of your card?”

When the spectator reveals the name of her card, the magus turns over the red card and it is the selected card.

“We now no longer have need of the dark spirits so we may return them to the pit from whence they came.”

The chosen card is turned over and its back has turned blue again, like the rest of the deck, and the devil’s picture has vanished.

Working: You’ll need a red-blue double-backer, on the red side of which you have glued the picture of a devil.

This card is on the bottom of the deck, red side up. Be careful not to flash it when you are having a card selected.

When the card is selected and is being looked at, kick-cut the deck and extend your left hand and the former top of the deck, to take back the chosen card.

Place the rest of the deck on top.

You now have the chosen card somewhere in the middle of the deck with the red-blue double-backer immediately above it, red side up.

Spread through the deck until you come to the red-backed card. Break the deck at this point, and ask the name of the card.

Do a double turnover with the DB and the chosen card, leaving the chosen card face up on the part of the deck in the left hand. Put the rest of the deck underneath the left-hand section. Pick up the face-up, chosen card and tells the “spirit” to “return from whence it came”. You may now show the back of the chosen card to be normal.

Second Thoughts: If you are a purist for clean-up you can palm off the DB and continue to use the same deck.

The double-turnover is no big deal here: when you come to the red card, slide it off and pretend to look at the “face” of it (actually, you are looking at the blue side). While this is being done with the right hand, the left thumb can push the chosen card about a half-inch to the right without any fear of anyone noticing it; this greatly simplifies the double lift.

Have fun with this – and spook your audience!

Peter Marucci