"Wolfgang Von Goethe once said Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen,"I say to my small audience outside the Washington memorial in DC.
"So if that's true then if you believe in yourself you can amaze others,"I say as I take a cigarette out of my pocket.
I don't smoke I just use it for this particular trick.
"If I believe that I can make this cigarette disappear, then it should,"I say sticking the cigarette to one side of my thumb, move my hands a few times then it's gone.
My audience seems impressed, even though I've performed this trick for years it never ceases to amaze me the shock people get when they see it for the first time.
"I'd bring it back, but I really need to stop smoking,"I say throwing the cig to the ground.
"She didn't make it disappear it's right here,"says a guy standing to my right as he picks up the cigarette I had dropped to the ground.
I pretend to act shocked even though this is all part of the show.
"I have no idea what you're talking about Ron,"I say as the guy looks shocked that I knew his name.
"What,"the guy says looking shocked.
"You mean your not Ronald David Andrews,born March 3, 1976, and you don't live at 2501 Pennsylvania Ave. My mistake,"I say as my audience starts to whisper.
"So what you're a psychic too,"Ron asks as I move his wallet up my sleeve.
"No, I have your wallet,"I say moving my hand and his wallet slips into my hand and then I hold it up.
Ron grabs his wallet from my hand"You're a thief, you stole this".
"In that case, I should probably give your phone back,"I say sticking my hand into my jeans pocket and pull out his blackberry.
"Now let me ask was my hand ever in your pocket,"I ask handing him his phone back.
"No,"He says slightly embarrassed.
"Then Abracadabra,"I say as I bow and my audience claps.
"Thank you you've all been great, and don't forget to tip,"I say motioning to the hat I set out.
The audience throws some money into the hat and walks away except for Ron, "How the hell did you do that".
"A magician never reveals her secrets,"I say as he walks away.
"What no tip".
Now I don't feel so bad for taking thirty bucks from his wallet.
I walk over to the hat and start stuffing the bills and coins into my own wallet when I see it.
Sitting at the bottom of the ball cap was a card.
When I pick it up I realize that it's like the tarot cards one of my foster mothers used.
It says justice at the top and has a picture of a king sitting on a throne holding a sword over his head.
On the other side is an eye and below it read
MARCH 29
4:44 pm
45 EAST EVAN ST
NY,NY
What the hell.