Electrical Tape Magic Trick

Once upon a time, in a class called Japanese, in a land known only as high school, I often found random things to do to fill the time known as study hall. I had electrical tape and permanent markers because any high school student knows that those things could come in handy at any moment. Better to be prepared than caught in a bind, right?

Rather than tell you the end result of the trick up front, I'll lead you through the steps in order to maintain some sort of mystique. You will begin with a few simple ingredients and end up with some amusement, a humiliated volunteer, and probably a few threats or ill feelings from the same.

To begin the wonder that is the electrical tape (and permanent marker) magic trick, you will need the following:

• A black permanent marker

  

• A strip of black electrical tape, approximately two inches

  

• A willing participant (a.k.a. victim)

  

• The ability to write short, humorous epitaphs, in reverse

The second phase of the operation is to write a short, humorous epitaph, in reverse (mirrored) on to the sticky side of the strip of electrical tape with the black permanent marker.

Locate the willing participant and ask them if they'd like to see a magic trick. "Hey, want to see a magic trick?" Note: This is not the way to make friends so use wisely.

If/when an individual agrees to see the trick, you can proceed by showing them the tape, waving it about, acting like the stereotypical magician you know you long to be. They should not be able to see the black ink on the black tape so long as you don't let them inspect it thoroughly. Once the participant is assured that you hold only a piece of black tape and nothing more sinister, you simply take the tape strip between the thumb and index fingers of both hands, sticky side facing away, and apply it to their forehead. You push the tape to their forehead, with your thumbs at the center of the strip, and then smooth the tape out over the curve of their skull.

All that's left at this point is to walk away and enjoy the humorous results from a safe distance. You could alternately pull the tape quickly from their head and shout, "ha!" and then question them as to why it didn't hurt. Either way, the person will likely think you're just insane and go about their business. They won't have a clue what happened until either they look into a mirror or someone else alerts them to it.

If followed properly, your moniker will be visible to the world for a fair amount of time, depending on the indelibility of the ink. They will wear the names "fool," "loser," "freak," etc. as a humiliating reminder of trusting you. You had better hope they're not into revenge. Enjoy!