One Picture is Worth

A ThousAnd WoRds
A Tribute to Robert Cassidy
While no one can replace the deep loss of the late Robert Cassidy and no effect could
take the place of his modern classic Name, Place routine, we offer an original piece of
pure mind reading that Bob Cassidy both inspired and praised.

A spectator is offered two blank slips of paper. On one of them he is to write any
word, on the other, he is to draw any picture. The spectator turns both cards writing
side down and mixes them so even he does not know which is which. One of the
cards is selected at random and placed in the center of the table. At this point the
performer has not touched either card. The left-over card is put away so no one can
look at the word or image on the other side.

The performer holds his hand over the card and says, “I sense you were comfortable
when you did this and that it required thought but not creativity. This feels like the
energy of deciding on a word, not drawing a picture. Please think of your word.”
Reading the spectator’s mind, the performer writes his impressions on a piece of pa-
per which he places on the table next to the card that he has never touched up to
now.

Turning the card over, the performer confirms that it is the word card, and that the
word is “submarine.” Smiling, the performer allows the spectator to pick up and open
the slip for himself to see that the one word written on it is, in fact, “submarine.”

“The way we think about images is different from the way we conceive words” ex-
plains the performer, “please think about drawing your picture for me.” The per-
former now openly draws, line for line, the exact image the spectator is concentrating
upon and the spectator’s drawn image can be brought forward and compared.
Guaranteed
• Any two slips of paper or the backs of business cards can be used.
• Can be performed with one or two spectators.
• There is no research, information gathering or pre-show of any kind
• Only two ordinary pieces of paper are ever used. No billet switches.
• The two pieces of paper used each have only the word and picture written and
drawn by the spectator.
• No burning, folding or tearing of the cards.
• All paper and writing instruments are ordinary and can even be borrowed.

“Terrific thinking. Great construction. You’ve created a

two billet version of Fourth Dimensional that
eliminates the envelopes and the switches. Congratulations.”
- Bob Cassidy