Little Girl Lost

I have had many memorable moments performing magic over the years.

I have been fortunate to have been honored with awards from my peers. I have been hired by celebrities like Pirece Brosnan, Minnie Driver Steven Segal. I have worked on movies with Sean Penn and Albert Finney and Jack Nicholson.

Magic has afforded me the opportunity to work with icons and idols like Carol Channng and Steve Allen, but one of the most memorable moments in my magic career was provided by a little girl named Sarah. I was working an afternoon party, doing walk-around magic, this is where the magician goes table to table or group to group and does slight-of-hand magic.

Everything went well during the first hour. Then I noticed a little girl, six years old, sitting on her own. I started to go over to her, but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. It was the little girl’s mother.

She explained to me that her daughter, Sarah, was uncomfortable around men. It seems her dad had gotten drunk one night, he slapped Sarah around pretty bad and then killed himself.

Apparently, Sarah had not spoken for almost a year. I said ok, I will leave her be, her mother walked away.

I saw that Sarah had been watching me talk to her mother. I didn’t go over to her, but from where I was, I took out a little ball and made it vanish.

She never smiled, or even acknowledged what I had done, not the first time that has happen to me by the way, so I walked away to perform for a group of adults. I was about to do the ball routine, when I felt something tug on my jacket.

I looked down and it was Sarah. I knelt down and asked if she wanted to see some magic.
She shook her head. I looked into her sad eyes. I took out a tiny wand that I carry with me.

I actually don’t know why I carry it, sometimes people expect you to have one, I guess.

Anyway, I asked Sarah if she would like to help me, she didn’t shake her head, so I took that as a yes. I said, “Ok, you hold on to the magic wand”.

I stood back up to the adults and started the ball routine, and every time the ball was to do something magically, I would nod at Sarah and she would wave the wand for me. She followed me around for the rest of the gig, one hand holding on to the wand the other to my jacket.

Her mother followed us too, she seemed awe struck.
I wish I could say that there was a magical Hollywood ending and Sarah spoke, but no.

When it was time to leave, I knelt down to Sarah and told her she could keep the magic wand. She never smiled or said a word; she just walked back to her mother.

Her mother though, smiled and said a silent thank you to me.

I may have made Sarah happy, I don’t know, but I did make her mother happy and that happiness gave her hope…what more could I ask for?