1 8 MAGIC WORDS with the magic of wonder. John Blood has as his key goal the restoration of wonder through learning and communication, hence [the name of his inspirational magic services], 'Behold! Learning.'"15 The word beholden -- meaning "indebted" or "obligated" -- derives from an old past participle of behold. When a magician speaks the word behold, perhaps there is a vestige of obligation in the following senses: gratitude, responsibility, fulfillment of a custom, and recognition of a binding promise. Considered in the context of beholden, the word behold bids the audience not only to look at the illusion at hand but to acknowledge the history and inge nuity behind it, and thereby honor all of the craft's forefathers. Common Magician's Applications: Production. For example: "Fabrizio plunged his right hand into his pocket even as he held his left hand high over his head. 'Behold!' he cried, showing his left hand to be bare and open. All eyes went to this hand. Fabrizio made a fist. Next he shoved his right thumb into that fist and removed it, showing the right hand to be open and bare. Finally, he reached back into his left fist with fingers of his right hand and pulled out a long green ribbon. As gasps of astonishment came from the crowd, Fabrizio flipped the ribbon onto the master cook's lap. The cook stared with terror-filled eyes at the ribbon that lay upon his belly. 'Why . . . why . . . that's magic!' he cried. Leaping off his stool, he brushed away the ribbon as if it were a poisonous snake. 'That's what people call it,' Fabrizio replied coolly."16 Vanishing. For example: "'For my final act,' declared Matthew the Marvelous Magician, 'and my greatest miracle, I will make something ap pear from nothing!' With amazing grace and style he opened the wonderful looking box and showed it empty to the audience, and then reclosed it and asked for silence so he could summon something from nothing. The audi ence was silent as Matthew waved his arms around the box dramatically and hummed his silly tune, and then standing tall and proud he said, 'Behold, Something from Nothing!' and opened the box. . . . Out of the box flew what looked like an explosion of streamers and paper flowers . . . until the entire front of the stage was filled with beautiful and colorful flowers and streamers. . . . The audience jumped to their feet in wild cheers and he looked down through the streamers to see his mom crying and dad beaming."17 In Literature: • "Luke then bowed his head. Then in a quick motion he rose up and said, 'behold!' And upon his word, a doorway to another world opened." -- Ted Lazaris, Dragon Man and the Poseidon Encounter (2004) • "'I am Mairelon the Magician!' he announced. 'Lend me your attention and I will show you wonders. The knowledge of the East and the West is 15 BeholdLearning.com (2005) 16 Avi, Midnight Magic (1999) 17 Karl Bastian, "Matthew the Marvelous Magician's Miracle" (2002)