The Second Greatest Trick

Uncle Al held up the silver dollar, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled,” covered it with his other hand, “Was convincing the world he doesn’t exist,” and made it disappear. He held out an empty palm. 

Nick leaned in. “Woah.”

Uncle Al’s palm was gone in a flash, replaced by a cautionary finger. “The second greatest trick?”

Nick stared up at him.

Uncle Al reached down and tugged the boy’s ear. With the ring of the metal edge, he held the coin up to the boy’s face. 

“Woah,” Nick jumped back.

Uncle Al held the dollar out to him. “Happy Birthday, kid.”

Nick chuckled and reached for the coin and felt it disappear in his grasp.”Aaaaww.” He turned a pouting glare. 

Uncle Al flashed him a confused glance as he patted his non-existent breast pockets. He searched his pants pockets and shrugged in disbelief. Then in a theatrical display, Uncle Al leered, distrustfully. “You already pocketed it, didn’t you?”

Nick shook his head emphatically. “No, I didn’t.”

“I don’t believe you.” Uncle Al crossed his arms. “Empty your pockets.”

In a hurry to prove his innocence, Nick Jammed his hands into his pockets, froze, and looked at his uncle in amazement when his hand found it. “What?” He pulled it out slowly and stared at it in disbelief. “How the—”

Uncle Al snatched the dollar.

“Hey.” Nick missed as he tried to snatch it back.

Uncle Al waved a finger as he closed his hand over the coin. “That’s not your coin.” He held his closed fist up to his ear and shook it like someone getting ready to throw dice. Coins rattled. He shook his head. “Nope. That's not it.” He shook his fist again. More coins rattled. “There it is.” He held his closed fist out to the boy.

The boy held an open hand under it.

“Better use both.”

He held both hands together in wide eyed anticipation.

Uncle Al grinned as silver dollars, ten in all, poured from his closed hand like sand.

“Wow.” He squatted to scoop up the two he had dropped in his excitement. He shot to his feet cupping his bounty against his belly and squinting to examine one of the silver dollars. “Looks real.”

“Of course it's real.” Uncle Al shrugged.

Nick funneled all but the one into his pocket. He examined the coin again and turned a suspicious glare up to his uncle. “Is it gonna disappear, or something?”

He chuckled and smirked. “Maybe.”

Nick rolled his eyes.

“Still got the ones in your pocket?”

“Oh no.” Nick’s hand shot to his pocket. He sighed in relief. “Don’t make ‘em disappear. Ok?”

Uncle Al mulled it over for a moment. “Alright,” he nodded. “If they haven’t disappeared by now, you’re probably good.”

“I know it’s a trick,” Nick informed him.

“You do, huh?” Uncle Al thought about it. “How do you know it’s a trick?”

“Well,” Nick stared at the ground, a tone of disappointed acceptance in his voice. “Cus magic’s not real.”

“Oh no.” Uncle Al scratched his head. “It’s not?”

Nick wrinkled his nose at his uncle. “You know it’s not real.”

He could see the faint fading glint of belief in the boy’s eye. “Well,” he rubbed his chin, “I suppose no one can say it’s not real for sure.”

“But the coin thing’s a trick, right?”

Uncle Al chuckled. “I suppose it is, kid.”

Nick shuffled half the coins to his other pocket, still holding the single dollar in his hand. He closed his fingers around it, closed his eyes in concentration, and opened them both. He frowned. The coin was still there. He turned an eye to his uncle. “Can you show me how to do it?”

“Oooohh,” he grimaced. “I don’t know, kid.”

“C’mon, Uncle Al,” Nick whined.

Uncle Al glanced around, and hemmed and hawed, and finally settled a serious gaze on the boy. “Don’t tell anyone.”

He agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

“Or not, I don’t really care.”

Nick laughed. He held the coin out to his uncle.

Uncle Al reached out to take it but before he could, a new one appeared in his hand. “Oh, never mind. I’ve got my own.” He held it up with his right hand, passed it to his left hand, closed it in a fist and held it out to the boy. When he opened it, it was empty.

Nick narrowed his eyes. “Alright, do it slower.”

Uncle Al raised an eyebrow. “Ok.” He held up the coin. “Now watch close.”

Nick hunched forward; his eyes laser focused as he clutched his own coin.

Uncle Al moved slowly, with an almost animatronic stutter as he transferred the coin to the other hand. He held it out and slowly opened an empty palm.

Nick looked down at his own coin. He closed his hand over it, opened his hand and in a burst of insight held the coin up. “It starts here.”

“Smart boy. What next?”

Instead of putting the coin in his other hand, he reached up and took it.

“That’s perfect.”

Nick opened his fist and stared at his palm in disappointment. “But it’s still there.”

“Well, there’s one more step.”

Nick nodded, thinking. Held up the coin, trying to see through it and this time as he reached for it, he had a thought. Don’t put it in your hand. He fake closed his hand around it and held it out to his uncle, his other fist clenched by his side.

Uncle Al laughed and held out his hands. “That’s the trick kid.” It will get better with a little practice.” He held the coin up again. This time he let the coin visibly tumble from his fingers and when he caught it in his other hand he showed it. “Don’t close this hand.” He turned his hand to show that you couldn’t see the coin at that angle.

Mike immediately began to try it over and over, dropping it periodically. Uncle Al watched patiently for a hundred or more attempts, offering single words of encouragement as the kid concentrated, the trick refining rapidly. 

Uncle Al patted him on the shoulder. Nice work, kid. Keep practicing.”

Nick Continued to practice.

“You get better at that, maybe next time I’ll teach you to turn a coin…” He held it up.

Nick stopped to watch.

He closed his hand over the coin, held it out to the boy and opened it. “Into two coins.”

Nick huffed, “That’s cool.” and dug into his pocket for one of his other coins. 

Uncle Al held up a hand to stop him. “Learn the first one first.”

Nick nodded knowingly. “I get it.”

Uncle Al groaned as he stood. “Alright, kid. Gotta get going.”

“Alright, Uncle Al.” Nick rushed at him and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Love you.”

“Love you too, bud.” He tousled his hair as he pushed him away. “I’m going to say goodbye to your mom, and I’ll see ya next week, alright?”

“Alright,” Nick nodded as he returned his attention to the trick.

Uncle Al started his car and turned the heater on high. The condensation on his windshield slowly began to evaporate. He squinted through the windshield, huffed, and fell back in his seat with a sigh. He glanced around the cab and found nothing to entertain him while he waited for the car to warm. He rubbed his face, took a deep breath, and smiled. 

He looked at his open hand, closed it. When he opened it again, a coin was in his palm. He held the coin up, and with mind boggling sleight of hand, performed the trick he had just taught his nephew. He chuckled under his breath and looked up through the windshield. It was close enough. With a bright ring, he flipped the coin and grabbed the wheel and shifter. As the coin tumbled to its height and began to fall it disappeared into thin air.

Uncle Al’s maroon caprice trundled down the driveway.

Nick lay in bed, the room cast in the blue and orange glow of the nightlight, still practicing the motions with the coin. His brothers began to snore, and he yawned, the trick growing slower. Sleep finally took him. With his last motion he accidentally passed the coin, the oddness of the feeling almost woke him, but he was too tired. His breathing deepened and his closed hand fell to his side and fell open. It was empty. In his left hand the coin sat in the palm of his sleeping hand.