P 61
age and humor and openness and perspective and carelessness, in the sense
of burning your mental bridges behind you, outreaching yourself." When
a magician says presto in such a spontaneous way, the air is electric and his
spectators are transfixed, astounded. Presto is the moment that will be etched
in their memories, because it is the moment they opened up to the possibility
of the impossible. Upon speaking the word presto, even the magician's mouth
is open in amazement.
Presto is the moment when legends are born. Brandon Bays recalls
such a moment while seeing ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev in Romeo and Juliet
at the Metropolitan Opera House. "[T]here was a moment when it seemed
as if time stood still. It was as if Nureyev reached into the depths of his
soul -- into genius itself. He leaped into the air, and his legs spread into a
full split; then, for a moment, it was as if he lifted even higher -- as if he was
practically floating in the air."24 Presto moments happen often in the world
of sports, as when a bat sends a ball soaring. That "whack" is the presto that
brings everything to a standstill, "and in that gap of absolute silence the soul
flashes forth -- an immensity revealing itself . . . a presence of vastness . . . a
greatness that can't be explained . . . and then whack! -- ball hit, hair standing
on end. Something great had revealed itself in that tiny instant. One
heart, one breath, hair on end. We'd dropped into the 'Gap' for an instant
and this vast truth had, in a flash, revealed itself." What is that vast truth?
Bay suggests that it's the same as Nureyev's inner genius: our own greatness
flashes forth, we see ourselves in the mirror, we remember our own magic,
and ripples of joy spread through the audience. The magic of those presto
moments is what sweeps people up for a standing ovation. No wonder presto
is such a popular magic word. It's the magic wand blooming into a bouquet.
It's the miracle of levitation. It's every special effect that's especially affective.
It's smoke and mirrors in a nutshell.
Meanings:
• At once, instantly
"Suddenly -- presto! -- it was over." -- Irvin D Yalom, Love's Executioner
(2000)
• Like magic
• Magic words
"If anybody has given you to believe that you're coming to me for some kind
of magic formula and -- hey presto! -- everything's back to normal again,
then they've seriously misled you." -- Peter Robinson, The Final Cut (1990)
• Nimble
"'Prestidigitation. Sleight-of-hand tricks,' said the Wizard. 'It comes from
presto meaning nimble and digit meaning finger.'" -- Jane Yolen, The Wizard
of Washington Square (2005)
Ibid.
24 Brandon Bays, The Journey (1999)
Ibid.