Many years ago,I read a short story called THE PEN THAT CAN NOT LIE. As I recall,it was a Quill-pen. Whenever anybody uses that pen to write, that person is compelled to tell the truth as seen from the words written with that pen. Beyond that,I can not recall anything else from that story. But I suppose the Pen would get the most usefulness from working on EVIL people as lies are mostly spoken by such people. Of course,there are such things as WHITE lies too, but that's a touchy area,so I'll let it aside for the moment.

Now how can that story be applied to a magic trick? Well, so far, the only magic trick I have which uses the idea of lies, comes from KARL Fulves' book SELF-WORKING ROPE MAGIC, specifically the trick LIAR'S ROPES. Using two ropes of equal length, the spectator is told to DELIBERATELY LIE about what rope he has silently chosen. As a result, one rope magically stretches to twice its length. The basic idea is that it uses the story of PINOCCHIO whose nose elongates whenever he tells a lie. So the idea of a Lie has been used in at least one trick that I know of.

But how can a PEN be applied to the idea of lies as shown from that anthology story? So far, the Only pen trick I know of is the Magnetic Pen where the pen magically CLINGS to the underside of the performer's outstretched fingers. But I don't see how that could be applied to "The Pen That Can Not Lie." After all, the way that Pen exposes lies is through the act of WRITING. So the Magnetic pen could Not be adaptable to that idea. Maybe somebody else can find a trick which is applicable.

It could be a pen that cannot write a lie, it works when the truth is written but won't work when a lie is.

or...

Switching out real ink and invisible ink you could make the lie disappear. This idea might also work with friction pen ink - dunno how much you'd need for an inkwell though - This ink disappears when heat activated.

Just a few thoughts still thINKing...

Any prediction effect will fit your description...

The Curator is wise, yes any prediction effect. There was an early [Friday the 13th the series] a TV series, one episode dealt with a cursed Quill pen. Anything it wrote would come true, I think it had to write about someone's death but the same concept could be applied.

Have someone select a card and place it within a wood box [Viking Euro box] card is revealed to be the card the pen predicted. [Many ways to force a card this is just an example]

- Stefan

Concept: a written falsehood turns into a truth.

Approach no.1: the written words change. Example: spectator selects a cards and jots down the name of another card. Do a billet switch and the paper is later shown to name the right card.

Approach no.2: the written words describe an APPARENT falsehood; later on, it turns out to be the truth. A bit like a sucker trick, or sucker trick in reverse. Have to think about this one!

What about having them choose a card, set it aside, write down the *wrong* card, then have the set-aside card be revealed to be the card they actually wrote down? In other words, let's say they chose the 4 of Hearts, it gets set aside, then they write down the Ace of Clubs. After suitable story/patter, they look at their card again and it's the Ace of Clubs.

Joshua

Sheet og greasproof paper amongst four plain papers , equivoke to force the gaffed sheet ? Just a very quick thought ......

Here is the actual page from the "Pen That Never Lied":
http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backis......9104%207

And the 2nd page:
http://milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backis......9104%207

A pen that cannot lie. A potential premise!

A spectator wrote a number from one to fifty two in a piece of paper. Segue to an ACAAN plot. Just a thought.

S.H.

One of my favorite shows was Warehouse 13. Using the thinking they did, what if the pen belonged to a famous science fiction author, and the pen will only allow the writer to write the future.

You could always do the 'ole bill switch. Write "front" on the back and "back" on the front. The pen can't lie so it rights itself. It may look better with an eighths switch as opposed to the usual sixteenths.

A LA the old Sprit Slates, write a lie, reveal it to have changed to the truth.