Читать книгу The Magic Misfits 2 - Neil Patrick Harris - Страница 8

The volume you are currently holding tells the next chapter in the saga of our misfit magicians. Like the one that came before, this book is also filled with lessons on magic – lessons that you can practise in your bedroom or basement or school sports hall.

If you read the whole thing, both the tale and the lessons, you’ll likely come away with some skills of your own – skills that you can use to make your friends gasp and gag and giggle with gratitude. There may even be laughter and clapping. Because isn’t that what this is all about: making your friends smile and giving them an escape from the ordinariness of the everyday?

Once again, I must ask that you keep the secrets of the magical lessons to yourself. In other words, please don’t go whispering them into sewer grates in the dead of night. And don’t stand in front of an audience and explain how each trick works before or after you perform them. It ruins the illusion, and you probably won’t get the same kind of applause. And, of course, refrain from reciting the lessons to any gossips in your school. You never know when a rival magician might show up and thwart your hard work. Rival magicians can be tricky that way.

If you do feel the need to share these lessons, make sure it’s with a group of your best friends, those who’ve promised to keep your secrets – a magicians’ club, if you will, just like our very own Magic Misfits. After all, secret organizations are quite fun. Who doesn’t want to be part of a club?

One of the most fun things to do with other magic-minded folks is to put on a show. Keep this in mind as you discover the magic lessons within these pages. How would you set your stage to impress your audience? Would you use a great red curtain? Or would you start in the dark to add a sense of mystery and tension? Would one of your friends act as an announcer? Or might your magic club begin the show in silence?

These questions are not only useful when staging a magical production but they also come in handy when telling a story like the one I am about to begin. Personally, I feel that a mixture of the following aspects is most effective: curtains, trapdoors, shadows, mirrors, music, sound effects, voice-overs, and fog. And don’t forget the sense of excitement of a new journey.

Are you ready to find out which of these I’ve chosen to start our show?

I mean, story ?

Well then, go on and turn the page!