Trident by Michael Murray

Several years ago, I dedicated myself to create a routine whereby two participants could verbally reveal that they were thinking of the exact same thing, at the exact same time. Fast forward to 2019 and that dream became a reality. The ‘Trident’ routine not only fulfils this original goal but also takes this idea further than I had ever imagined. I know already that you will be delighted with how simple this routine is to perform, and I can guarantee that you will be smiling from ear to ear when you realise just how devious it is, too!

Effect Overview:

Trident is an incredibly simple, yet highly powerful performance piece that is perfectly suited for entertaining small crowds of up to six participants. After claiming to have read the minds of several participants, the mentalist proceeds to prove his success via an incredible three-way reveal that is both audible and visual in nature.

Some important points about the selection process -

• You never get to see any of the drawings made by the participants.
• The cards are genuinely mixed by the participant and the cards remain in their possession throughout.
• The selection is made completely at random (whilst your back is turned) and is not forced in any way.
• The participant is never asked to remove their selection from the group and is even offered the opportunity to change their mind, should they
• wish.
• The selection only ever exists in the participant’s mind and can end up in any position within the group.
• You only ever take back the cards at the conclusion of the effect to remove the card that you know they are thinking of.

Note: An alternative triple ‘design duplication finale’ is also included as a presentational bonus within this booklet.

Detailed Description of the Primary Routine:

Five participants are each asked to make a simple drawing on a business card, sight unseen. A sixth participant is asked to thoroughly mix the drawings before thinking of one of them at random, they are even invited to change their mind, should they wish.

The test subject is now asked to focus their thoughts upon their selected drawing as the mentalist attempts to receive them. After seemingly experiencing some initial difficulties, the performer claims that he has been successful in his mission, but rather than revealing the drawing right away, the mentalist instead, offers to take things one stage further by attempting to locate the artist behind the drawing.

Turning all attention back to the original artists, the mentalist directs each of them, in turn, to think about the drawings that they made. After quickly reading each of their minds in succession, the performer isolates a single artist from the group, suggesting that the target drawing belongs to them.

In an effort to prove his claims, the mentalist requests that the cards are given a further mix before taking them into his possession for the very first time. Looking through the images, the mentalist quickly removes a single card which he suggests bears the very same image that the two participants have in mind.

Holding this single card, sight unseen at his fingertips, the mentalist requests that when he snaps his fingers, he would like both participants to call aloud the item that they have in mind, in unison (the artist calling out the item that they drew and the test subject calling out the drawing that they were thinking of).

Upon snapping his fingers, both participants call out the exact same item in harmony, thus creating a beautiful audible reveal for the group. To prove that this was no mere fluke, the mentalist flips over the card that is being held at his fingertips. To the delight of the group, this matches the audible selections perfectly, thus completing the three-way reveal and bringing the routine to a successful conclusion.

Important Note: 'Equilibrium' and 'Trident' will also feature in the upcoming book titled 'The Missing Piece'.  As yet, there is no scheduled release date for this collective work.