Magic Wand

A few years ago, I learned to eat fire. It's not a skill that one USES often, but it is a skill that I have. I learned it backstage during a production of Forever Plaid, in which one of the actors performs the trick. He'd done it before, but not in years. He asked for refresher instruction and I was there when it came. I watched carefully and later tried it myself. It's impressive to watch, but not so hard to do. The only thing you need is a healthy respect for fire. Oh, and the wand.

At the time, with permission, I borrowed that performer's wand to try the trick. Yes, it goes into your mouth, but it goes in ON FIRE, so wand-swapping doesn't create a lot of bacterial concern. Still, it's a good idea to have your own wand if you want to practice or perform the trick. Which is why, not having one, I haven't practiced or performed it in years. Or, I should say, "hadn't." I made a wand this weekend.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I'd joked a day earlier that I would make one, but when I saw all the necessary materials in a drug store the next day, I had to buy them. It was a sign.

Having been a borrower, I'd never made my own wand. It took a little time to get the size just right. My wand is not pretty, but it is effective. My father watched cautiously as I lit it the first few times, producing flames far too large to put near my face. In time, with a little less fuel, I got a flame I could eat. Mmm, mmm, good.

As a performer, one likes to keep tabs on one's "special skills," but now that I'm assured I can still do the trick and have sufficiently unnerved my father, I'm not sure what I'll do with the wand. Dad confirms that it's probably not a good idea to perform that one in front of my impressionable nieces, coming to visit Disneyland in April. But my mother hasn't seen the trick yet. I'll keep the wand handy for her next visit.