The Whispering Spirit by Bob Hummer

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An entertaining mental feat with a borrowed deck of cards.

From the brilliant mind of Bob Hummer comes a divination mystery that seems impossible, yet you do it every time. The performer takes the spectator on an adventure with a borrowed deck and a dead person's age (which is furnished by anyone in the room). In some uncanny manner, the "Whispering Spirit" aids the performer in solving the mystery. The performer does not need to touch the deck while they are in the spectator's hands.

There are no setups, stacks or cyclical rotations. The cards may be borrowed. The cards are not marked. There are no assistants or shills. There are no glances or peeks before the spectator handles the cards. There are no mirrors, gaffs or electronics used. No palming. In fact, no sleight of hand whatsoever is used. The deck may be examined before and after. All you need to perform this miracle is a deck of cards (which may be borrowed), a spectator, and Bob Hummer's clever routine.

Included in this revised version is a bonus idea from B.W. McCarron, which provides a way to bring in extra revenue from performing Hummer's routine.

"A clever divination effect." - John Braun in the Linking Ring

"Can be used as a group trick for small gatherings, having each spectator use his own deck of cards simultaneously." - Glenn Davidson in Genii

"Baffles magicians and audiences alike." - Samuel Berland

"I wish it was priced at $100 to make it more exclusive." - T. A. Whitney

"An uncanny effect that will fool them all." - Abbott's

1941 Berland edition; PDF 9 pages
word count: 3901 which is equivalent to 15 standard pages of text