A Rose By Any Other Name (Jack Wilder/ Now You See Me)

Prologue

Prologue

The sound of the bustling crowd was deafening, drawing in more strangers every moment. And I, being the performer that I am, basked in the attention. I was surrounded by a collection of people, all different, but all the same. Mothers, who had been taking their extroverted kids out to the park to expel leftover energy before locking them up in the confinement of their compacted apartments. Lovers, who had been enjoying a romantic picnic, brought over to the accumulation of people by the growing noise having interrupted their date. And casual onlookers, who had been out on an afternoon stroll, had joined in, an itching need to know what the fuss was all about.

I stood on a park bench facing my audience. In my hands was a deck of blue playing cards, rough around the edges, showing signs of use. I wasn't usually one for card tricks, but they brought in a crowd, for which I wasn't complaining. After several silly games of "pick any card" and filler tricks that consisted of making a card vanish and reappear, I decided it was time for my finale. I analyzed the on looking spectators, searching for my victim. Once I secured in my mind who I wanted, I raised a question to the crowd. "Who would like to help me with my final performance?" The throng of people squealed and cheered, a choir of "me, me, me's" forced at me. "Hmm," I say, pretending to scan the audience. "How about…you" I say, letting my pointer finger rest in the direction of the one I'd previously selected.

A woman with jet black hair and strong facial features cheered and made her way up to where I stood upon the bench. Up close, she wasn't beautiful, with penciled in eyebrows and face cemented in a pile of make up, but she wasn't ugly either. I was almost positive, that behind the spidery lashes and candy apple lips, she was actually a pretty girl. She stood about half a foot taller than I, around 5'8 and wore dark jeans and a low cut red blouse.

I leaned toward her asking for her name, in which she replied "Sheridan." Her perfume was intoxicating, but smiled despite it, turning to the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'd like to present to you my assistant, Sheridan." As cliché as that line is, the crowd ate every word of it up.. Sheridan smiled, doing a slight bow to the audience. "Pick any card you choose," I said, motioning toward the fanned deck I held in my hands. Sheridan smirked, running manicured fingers along the cards, finally settling on one in the middle. I asked her to show it to the crowd, who inched closer.

I reached into my back pocket, pulling out a black sharpie. "Would you mind signing the card for me please?" She did as I asked, and presented it so that everyone could see but me. She then placed it back in the deck and I began shuffling the cards.

"So are you from Manhattan?" I asked, starting meaningless conversation. I, as well as everyone near, learned that Sheridan is 25, just graduated from NYU, and was about to fly to Chicago to visit family. I passed her the cards to continue shuffling. This was all part of the act.

Sheridan is one of those girls who enjoyed the spotlight, and could talk about herself for days. This, luckily for me, made her oblivious to all that I had plan. She was the type to keep her wallet in her back pocket, easy pickings for me. In what seemed less than two seconds, the deed was done, a fresh fifty dollar bill in my pocket.

I pulled out the box for the cards from my black blackpack that had been thrown underneath the bench, and resealed the cards in them. Showing it to her and the audience, that the cards were in fact sealed shut. I asked her to place the deck in her back pocket, confirming that the box was closed one last time. I then reached in to her pocket and skillfully grabbed the card I knew would be there and presented it to the crowd, then to Sheridan. A gasp was followed by an uproar of cheering as everyone looked upon the card in my hand. It was indeed the 6 of diamonds, scribbled with Sheridan's name in black ink over top. The woman stood with a awestruck expression on her face as she gazed at the card in my hand.