The Indian Rope Trick is one of the great never-quite-was’s of magic, a legendary routine that was the subject of much intrigue and research since being described in a Chicago Tribune article in the late 1800s. It was later universally declared a myth to file alongside man eating plants and the abominable snowman, while various versions were presented none were able to live up to the legend. 

The classic effect consisted of three parts. First, a length of rope was made to rise rigid in the air, so that a young boy was able to climb up it to the top, disappearing from view. Then the magician would pursue the boy up the rope carrying a large sword, which he’d use to slice the young unfortunate to pieces so body parts would fall to the floor. Finally the body parts would be placed in a basket, from which the boy would step out restored. This is actually an amalgamation of a number of separate effects either performed by Asian street magicians or described in historical travel accounts - seekers consistently failed to locate a full performance out in the open despite the offer of large sums of money for such a display, eventually interest fizzled. It was presented on the grand illusion stage by Howard Thurston with much ballyhoo, though reports of the actual illusion were underwhelming. Various other illusionists had later versions of their own, but none became signature set pieces. 

Ultimately, the insistence on proving the legend real or otherwise ended up destroying the rope trick as a piece of theatre. Taken as a story, it has transformation, ascension, death and resurrection all in a neat plot, what’s not to like? But by demanding a specific performance under strictly defined conditions, the magic world reduced it to a cold puzzle. Magicians have managed the first part - the rope rising and supporting a small boy - but all you have then is a stiff rope with none of the human drama. There are ways to accomplish every part of the original plot if you can do it on your own terms, but if the audience are invested only in the mechanics of looking for the secret you’ve no chance, there’s no way to misdirect them. Sawing a Woman in Half works because everyone knows no-one’s really being murdered, so they can go along and enjoy the narrative. There are very few big illusions that can’t be explained with a little determined effort, but, as I explained before, the magic is in making that not the point. 

When Ted died the legend was still in its heyday, so he still saw the wonder in it all. He’d been around when Thurston presented his version and had a framed copy of the poster and a photo of the performance on the wall of the Wonder Emporium. He’d always wanted to do a version of his own but never had the opportunity, not least because he hadn’t had a boy to send up the rope. On finding Triana was not only the right physical age but a biological boy to boot he saw his chance. 

The question was if Triana would be happy to revise being a boy post-transition - if I were asked to play as a woman now I’d find it uncomfortable, even though it would be a literal drag act. 

“Sure, no problem,” said Triana. “I play a boy sometimes in my acting work, it’s not a big deal. All I ask is that you don’t call me David. If you must give me a male name, use Trey.”

I wasn’t expecting her to be quite that casual. Or that she’d already thought this out. 

Triana’s friend and flatmate Kim, who came by to see her at work from time to time, was also transsexual, in her case male at birth. Like me, she had awoken in the post-mortal plane completely transferred into her true sex, which was particularly interesting as she’d died before her transition had been completed in the mortal world. So it seemed our inner selves were the ones that counted after all. 

“Triana, why didn’t you transition like Kim or I did? We woke up on this plane with our true genders, how come you still have male parts at all?”

Triana shrugged. “A few reasons. Firstly, I died aged twelve - even though I knew the facts of life and what genitals were, having or not having a dick just wasn’t that important to me back then, certainly not enough to want it cut off. So long as I could dress and present as the person I was I was happy. Secondly, I actually quite like having a bit of both. Obviously I identify as female, but if I was meant to be a full biological girl here I would be, you and Kim are proof of that. So yeah, I’ve no problem with performing as a boy. Even though this is clearly an excuse for Ted to hack me to pieces with a sabre.”

“Well, you did make a bit of a monkey out of him.” 

Triana laughed.
“It was for the best. If he wants the chance to chop me up, he’s earned it.”

Triana set about developing her male alter-ego, tying her hair back into a ponytail and donning a sleeveless t-shirt and knee length shorts to become Trey. Trey’s muscle tone developed within a few weeks of work with Lillian on aerial rope skills, it was as if we now had two separate people working for us. When Triana wore her hair back or hid it out of sight in a hat she became circus boy Trey, carrying herself with athletic, masculine poise. Sometimes she’d spend the whole day as Trey, working the shop in pinstripe waistcoat and trousers to demonstrate tricks to customers. Then when she let her hair down she would revert to her adapted schoolgirl outfits and velvet party frocks to be herself as Triana. Lillian taught her to move and dance with more feminine movements when performing as herself, so she was able to work as either Triana or Trey as required.

We plotted out our version of the Rope Trick with the indoor setting in mind, making some minor modifications in the interests of presentation. Ted was no slouch physically and had some physical circus skills - performers of his era often did - but was happy to not have to climb up the rope himself with a sabre in hand. Instead, having made the rope rise some fifteen feet above the stage, he made Trey climb all the way to the top, where he stayed as Ted angrily waved the sword at him from stage level. This was the cue for a blast of dry ice that enveloped young Trey, hiding him from view. Severed body parts began tumbling down out of the smoke cloud - arms, legs, a torso and finally a dummy head, which rolled across the stage as the smoke dispersed, revealing just an empty rope which slackened and tumbled to the ground as if all the magic keeping it up had been exhausted. All that remained then was to gather up the body parts and put them in the basket, out of which Trey made his return, intact and alive. 

The whole thing came together beautifully and went down a storm with our audience. We ended up using it as a feature routine in our show, putting it in the program about once a month. The mechanics of how we did it were what they were - if you want to know the secrets we used you can probably figure out most of it - but what was important was the theatre, the plot, the spectacle. And in that respect it was everything Ted had hoped for.

We continued to build the Wonder Emporium in both stature and physical space, buying up and knocking through the empty shops around us when we needed more room for something. Our chef Janet now runs a kitchen staff delivering incredible food to the tables in the theatre, we’ve a larger workshop space to create new illusions and the shop and museum attracts visitors from across the plane. When we began running workshops, I realised we had an actual community building of creative, positive spirits, who found in performance arts the means to be who they wished to be, to do the things they dreamed of. We are permanent heaven to a lot of them now. Triana still does her duties as a deliverer - in an eerie moment she told me the park bench by the lake where we had our first proper talk was the spot where she is usually called to deliver wandering spirits, it worried her when she saw me sitting there on that day - but despite being the resident deliverer at the Wonder Emporium she delivers a lot more somersaults than souls around here, which she says is the system operating in the best way possible. Bob and Stephanie stop by occasionally to see their daughter at work, proud parents for all eternity.

Kim sometimes comes to assist Triana (and Trey) with her act, she also runs some acting workshops in our studio. It was never made official that she and Triana are anything more than friends and flatmates - the whole professionally-looking-like-children thing makes that kind of thing awkward, I guess - but everyone knows really that they’re a couple.   

We are on very good terms with the Mortal Masquerade. They’re the underground club doing the dark immersive horror and insane stunts, while we’re the non-threatening family show promoting dreams and wonder. Of course we have no actual families coming, but we play to the innocent child inside of everyone, visually represented by Triana.

Now, back when we began our journey together, we looked at a four ace card trick. In a roundabout way I told you my idea of the secret: a fluid narrative incorporating planned and random events, emotional responses and flights of willing fantasy to deliver a profound and transformative moment of magic. But I didn't tell you The Secret, the way the trick is actually done. So, here it is. Hold on to your hats, boys and girls (whatever your true self is), here it comes. The secret to the four aces trick described, the awesome privileged information that must be protected at all costs by the magicians' code. The Secret is:

The aces were on the bottom of the deck the whole time. 

Yep, that’s it. Also, it really isn’t. Which secret do you prefer?

THE END