Playdates at the Magician’s House By Andrea Santo Felcone

Sometimes it takes a new perspective on something to see it in a different light. Like, say, when every Halloween a guy living in your neighborhood gets on these gigantic wooden stilts and scares the pants off your kids–so much so, they can’t cross the street to trick-or-treat at the stilt-walker’s house. So, you avoid the stilt-walker. You continue on your way. But then, a year or so later, you find yourself enjoying an impromptu Halloween party at the stilt-walker’s house. How did this happen? You are now “BEHIND THE STILTS” and it is so entirely different than you thought it would be. Nothing scary. Actually, it’s pretty entertaining. As it turns out, the stilt-walker guy is the Dad of a new friend of your youngest, and his wife has invited you and your son to go trick-or-treating and then back inside for pizza. So, although I am not someone who has had the perspective of life on top of stilts, I can share that behind the stilts it’s all fun and games and food and warmth. It’s an entirely different experience than it was in front of the stilts—and it’s a pleasant surprise.

I’ll admit I initially thought the guy was just a guy who liked stilts. So, the first time his wife leaned in and told me her stilt-walking husband was a magician, I was unprepared. I had met her at a “get-to-know-the-kids-in-your-grade” event at a local park. I’ve recently decided to ignore my “been there–done that–not getting invested” instinct and say “yes” to experiences more readily. I had already accepted her invitation for the boys to play at her house. Now that we’d arrived, I wasn’t sure what to make of this new information.

Happily, the conversation flowed easily. She added, (now in front of him), he’s not only a magician, but a hypnotist as well. He hasn’t said much. He’s playing with a string of silver Mardi Gras beads, “cats cradling” them through his fingers. Now I’m wondering if staring at the beads will put me in a “trance” so, through nervous laughter, I make a joke about not wanting to “turn into a chicken”. Because, honestly, what else do you say to a hypnotist you’ve just met? This is new territory for me. I don’t know what image you have of me, but I am not used to hanging out with magician-hypnotists. However, this really should not be the surprise that it is. Meeting a magician-hypnotist–especially with my youngest–was only a matter of time.

The playdates continue. I’m not ready for the “drop-off” playdate yet; I’ve learned to be conservative with that, and honestly, these people are too interesting. I need answers to my ever-growing list of questions. I learn this is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill, performs at kids’ birthday parties, magician-hypnotist-stilt-walker. Nope. This guy’s the real deal. He’s a professional magician-hypnotist-comedian-juggler-stilt-walker. He’s covered the globe and has the “YouTube cruise ship performance videos” as proof. He has wonderful anecdotes about his travels. I learn the full story of how he became the magician-hypnotist-comedian-juggler-stilt-walker, and it does not disappoint.

While the kids play, the magician’s wife and I talk. She and the magician are well-suited and she’s clearly very proud of him. She is open, fun, one of those “up for anything,” kind of people and generous beyond belief. You aren’t over there for ten minutes when “ta da” (no, it isn’t a quarter coming out of your ear) it’s the best hot chocolate of your life, and it’s as if it was produced from thin air.

On another day, she is making conference calls for work, and he is re-stocking his balloon briefcase—a leather case with various tubes inside, each a depository for a different colored balloon. He is low on gray, which means the elephant balloon animals will soon become extinct if he doesn’t make a call. This entire thing is endlessly fascinating. I am still thinking of questions I would like answered. Occasionally, I ask one: “What happens if you fall off those stilts?” (The answer is something akin to “driving into the skid” as far as I can tell and involves a tuck of one’s shoulder). I’m not convinced I will ever use this information in my life (as I’ve structured it now), but it feels good knowing I have this knowledge.

And as I get to know the magician and his wife, and enjoy their kind and generous company, I am reminded again, to give new people a chance. Don’t let your “not getting invested side” keep you in your comfort zone. Keep your mind open. Don’t assume the only view is the view from the front. Sometimes, you need to go around back to see the whole picture.

Tags: magic, magician, playdates