[ WP ] A real wizard goes on Penn and Teller 's fool us , does real magic , but does n't fool them .


 Where he came from in Africa, superstition was alive and real. Magic powder and strange pills and harnessing the spirits of the dead were all available; all thanks to the local Witch Doctor. 
 That strange man could cure disease, talk to his ancestors, and make crops grow almost double the height. All of these seemed to have been all but confirmed by the people in the village. 
 One day, a young child, Maksim had become interested in the mysterious potions. One night, he snuck into the witch doctor's home and stole some of them. The red powder he decided to pour on a frog. It immediately turned into a rat. The Witch Doctor really was magical where he lived. He asked him about where he learned his craft. 
 The doctor said, “ Do n't bother asking. It was in Cairo, but by now that place has probably long been destroyed. ” But that was not the only option. 
 Maksim pleaded, “ Please, I just want to learn the craft and help a different village thrive. One without a Great Man like, you! ” 
 The doctor agreed and gave him a dark grey book. The cover had said Spirits and Magic. 
 
 [ 2 Years Later ] 
 
 Maksim was scouring all the streets of Cairo trying to find the Academy of Magic. While wandering he came across a carnie who would charge five bucks to see him perform “ Magic ”. He would saw a woman in half and she was n't hurt. He would teleport an assistant and pull a rabbit out of hat. This show was so impressive to Maksim after the show he payed another five bucks just to see how it was done. It was not real magic, just secret compartments. Anyway, the carnie said that his goal was to make it to Vegas where you could charge fifty for doing fake magic. This was a revelation to Maksim. If one could make fifty for doing fake magic, he could charge hundreds for doing real magic and then he could actually help a village more than he could even with magic, as he saw it. 
 
 [ 5 Years Later ] 
 
 He was making sure he was ready. He was pulling on his tie again. He was finger-combing his hair. He was making sure his shirt was tucked in. If he could do the trick right, he will have a trick that amazes millions, fools Penn and Teller, two of the most famous magicians and have his Vegas career set. The speakers said his name. It was time. 
 
 The brights blazed on to him. He began his act. 
 
 “ Hello, I am Maksim, and I would like to show you a few tricks today. Magic is about amazement. Allowing people to believe what should n't be real. ” 
 
 He threw a deck of black cards over his head, snapped his fingers with red powder, and when they were caught they changed from black to red. 
 
 “ Only, the stuff I'm showing today, I think I will assure you'll think it's real. Penn, can just pick anyone in the audience. ” 
 
 Penn in suprise, says, “ Well, hmm… how about the brown haired lady in the back with the red dress. ” 
 
 The act continued 
 
 “ O.k, what's your name… ” 
 “ Malyissa, my name is Malyissa ” 
 “ Alright, well here's what we are going to do. On this sheet I have eight numbers written down. I'm going to give it to Teller. ” 
 
 He walked to Teller and handed him the piece of paper. 
 
 “ So say eight numbers ” 
 
 He threw powder in the air. When she looked at it, he entered her subconscious. 
 
 “ Five, Zero, umm…Seven, Six, Four, Five, Thirty. ” 
 
 “ Teller, what are the numbers ” 
 
 Teller read them out loud, the camera breathing on him. 
 
 “ Five, Zero, Seven, Six, Four, Five, Three, Zero ” 
 
 The audience screamed, and that was before he did he card tricks with the help of a sheep bone. 
 
 [ Five minutes later ] 
 
 Maksim, bows with the audience in a standing ovation. Penn and Teller discussed for minutes. He thought he had gotten them. 
 
 Penn stands up, “ What a great act, excellent use of color and it was very impressive. The stuff you did sure seemed like real magic. However, your use of bones and powder gave us some helpful hints. Me and Teller have both read hundreds of books on magic, to understand all types magic in all cultures. The tricks you do require years of mastery, so we have not learned them yet, but we know about Spirits and Magic. You did not fool us, but you did great. ” 
 
 The show runner asked him if he knew that they knew it. 
 
 They did. 
 
 

