The Caper of the Crown Jewels (3 page)
Read The Caper of the Crown Jewels Online
Authors: Elizabeth Singer Hunt
Chapter 2: The Land of Kings and Queens
Chapter 3: The Tower of Infamy
Chapter 17: The Surprise Visitor
The Magic Break
It was a rainy day on the 9th of May and Jack Stalwart was sitting at his desk in his bedroom doing his homework. His fourth-grade class was studying the history of the British Empire. In front of him was a long list of British kings and queens who had ruled the country since the time of William the Conqueror. He looked at the list and his eyes glazed over.
“There's no way I'm going to memorize these names by tomorrow.” He sighed.
“There are too many of them.” Jack closed the book and decided to take a break.
He walked over to his bedside table and opened the top drawer. Inside was one of his favorite books:
Master the Art of Magic.
He pulled it out, sat on his bed, and began to read the section called “Appearing Coin” on page thirty-one. Jack smiled to himself. This was much more fun than homework.
Ever since Jack's Uncle Richard had taken him to see the master magician, Ivan the Incredible, in London, he'd been fascinated by the art of illusion. He'd watched as the magician made an enormous elephant disappear right on stage. Towards the end of the show, he'd escaped from a straitjacket while hanging over a fiery pit. “Incredible” was the right word. Jack had never seen anything like it before.
As soon as he got home that night, Jack had asked his mum for a book on magic. On his birthday, she surprised him with
Master the Art of Magic.
It was the biggest selling book on magic and, in Jack's opinion, just about the best. Every page was chock-full of exciting tips on how to fool your friends and family with magical tricks. Last night, he had learned how to bend a spoon. Tonight, he was
going to learn how to pull a coin out of thin air.
Jack reached into his top drawer and grabbed some sticky tape. Then he pulled a coin out of his trouser pocket. Cutting off a piece of tape, he stuck the coin onto the back of his first finger. Doing as the book said, he reached behind his ear and then flipped his middle finger forward. The coin magically appeared in the palm of his hand.
