The Journey by Rick Maue

Imagine this: Five different audience members each freely name any city from around the world, and while doing so, the performer writes the names on a dry erase board. The names of the five cities are also written down, sealed in five separate envelopes, and then mixed, by the audience members. After laying out the five envelopes on a table, the performer has five other audience members come forward. Each one of them selects the envelope of their choosing, and one at a time, they take a seat on the stage. (There is a row of six chairs facing the audience–with three to the left and three to the right, and an open space in between for the performer to stand.)

The performer instructs the five assistants to inspect their envelopes carefully. He asks them to hold them up in the light to make sure that there is no way to read what is written inside. He also asks them to make sure that there is no possible way to tell one envelope from the other. In fact, he turns his back and allows the assistants to not only compare the envelopes, but to also exchange them among the people that they are seated with if they choose.

In essence, the performer drives home the point that there is no possible way for anyone–including him–to know which envelope contains which city.

Holding up the marker board, he asks another person in the audience to stand and name any one of the five cities. Her selection now becomes the target city. The performer asks her to come forward to begin the experiment.

With his back toward them, the performer instructs the five seated assistants to open their envelopes and read what is written inside. Telling them to make sure that no one else sees what city they possess, he asks them all to stand up and concentrate upon their city.

Once again confirming the target city that the final assistant has chosen to focus upon, the performer takes her by the hand and he begins to walk back and forth across the front of the stage. One by one, he names the four cities that need to be eliminated, and while doing so, he amazingly has the people holding those envelopes sit down one at a time–until only one person is left standing. That remaining person indeed has the target city that was freely selected–thus proving that the performer was able to not only find the target city, but also to read the thoughts of each one of the assistants, thus locating all five of the cities along the wayl
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No sleight-of-hand — No special gimmicks — No peeks or glimpses — No pumping
No advance preparation — No pre-show — No secret assistants — No forces
No confederates — No equivoque — No secret markings — No one-ahead — No kidding!

…Just solid mind reading with everyday objects that are not specially prepared in any way!

Everything can be examined at the beginning, the middle,
and the end of the routine–because there is never anything to find.
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Please note the complete original version of The Journey is included in Digital Deception. The exclusive bonus version found in the original limited release manuscript is not found in Digital Deception, and it will remains out of print as promised.