Freedom Forged

We learned a few new tricks, did not practise them enough and went to the street sheepishly.

We though we practiced enough, we had no teacher but ourselves and videos that shows us how to manipulate the deep laws of the metaverse through the talent of slights. We did it to the point where we felt we would not fail.

And I Failed. For the first few times. Nerves got the better of me. My partner in crime save us. He did fine.

We wandered the streets. Just hanging out really, going to places where we thought that people might want to see something cool (if we did not mess up). We wandered the bullring a lot at the time. We must of impressed people though, being as bad as we was. We was full of dreams and potential, we got told we should be on TV. We knew we was not ready. I kind of knew who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do as a card wielder, just did not have the wisdom to put it in words let alone go out and do it.

We fucked about. Magic was not the point. We where enjoying the freedom of knowing school is finally over after 12 years. Enjoying the freedom before college started. Spend at least 40 minutes looking at the donuts at Krispe Kream being made once. We really spent our days unplanned. We spent ages watching each part of the process, we did not even buy one. We never did until a few years later. The time did not feel right.

There is a point that I remember clearly, a defining point in my path of cards. I got a massive crowd. 30 to 40 people all saw the 16 year old with some card getting ready to do something strange. The things we learn we learned at the time relied on angles. It was only magic if you stood in a certain place, so instead of inviting failure I asked my right hand man to take half. Even half was a struggle. A performer must control his crowd, and when a miracle can fall apart just by someone turning a card around in their hand before I have a few seconds to speak. Well timing in performance is important too.

When you give them the ace of hearts and they take the card and turn it around to be the spades then they will just go "huh? That wasn’t what you gave me" when you have a few seconds to ask them what card they have and let them in their mind be sure that it is the hearts then when they turn it around it is amazing.

We was not really ready for such a big crowd, but it did it and it was good. The security who was watching too after our show told us we could not do magic in the shopping centre anymore as crowds block the way of people going passed, we never listen. Twice we have been told we would be banned for life for performing there. I haven't performed there in quite a few years.

It became a year of freedom, 2006. We have just left school, the holiday before college. I spend days not going home, went to London for the first time. Nearly every day out into the street. Away from home and the problems, away from people are drama. Life was simple and one of the best times I have had.

Our freedom was forged with a mindset.

If we wasn't out wandering we was studying. Our magic HQ was at Jin's sister's flat, up above an Indian restaurant. Jin would buy the eldritch knowledge and gift it to me as well. He would meet up with me as show me something new. We would then work on it to make it work for us, not that we knew how to do that. I would hang out with Jin, his sister and her boyfriend eating instant noodles with chopsticks. The conversation would trail off into Cantonese while talking to me without them noticing. They would turn around and speak to me and I would have to remind them which tongue they were using.


The days where long, but it still felt too short.

 Our freedom forged, it just needed to be wielded