Fear of Flying
by Steve Murray

About Steve Murray, from the guy that knows him best, Steve Murray: "Steve Murray works hard as a heart doctor in North East England. He wishes he could keep himself in the manner to which he has become accustomed by performing magic & mentalism, but his patients love him too much, albeit through a process of psychology, misdirection, and showmanship. Occasionally, some them even get better. He is a member of the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians whom he describes as the down-right friendliest bunch of magi anyone could wish to meet and dedicates this piece to them."

I'd like to dedicate it Ron Dayton, who has been sharing so much of his thinking & style with me over the last year. I'm proud to know him, and even prouder when he calls me a friend.

[Magus holds a feather gently at fingertips, dominant hand. IT hookup from behind ear to middle finger of dominant hand. Feather wound around thread to be spaced so as to rest on base of thumb when middle finger is fully extended.]

The man said, “You know, I do feel better holding it. I feel...weightless...”

The Other smiled, and repeated, “Yes. Weightless. That's good.”

[The feather is seen to gently float of the hand; the Magus smiles in simple delight, like a child playing with a new toy – acting the part of the man in the tale; as the feather floats up, he turns his hand so that it can rest on the back of his thumb. As this move is performed the story continues...]

“I'm no longer falling,” said the man, “It feels like I'm floating... How is that?”

[The feather rises again; this time, again with a look of enchanted amusement, the Magus encircles the feather, arching his hands, with the thumbs upward, and middle fingers pointing forward. The hands make a ring; by gently moving the hands up and down, along with slight nodding of the head, the feather is able to float through this circle, below it and above. As this is done, the story continues with The Other]

The Other explained, “It's because you finally stopped accelerating; you've been moving at 10 meters-per-second-per-second, and now you're going as fast as you can. When that happens, you no longer feel like you're falling,” he smiled, “You feel like you're floating.”

The man frowned, “That's called something, isn't it?”

[The feather slowly floats back into the up-turned palm; it is gripped and pulled sharply down to one's side, snapping the thread].

“I believe it's referred to as ‘terminal velocity'” said the Other kindly.

[Hold the feather in front of one's eyes, as if examining it, with brow still furrowed slightly.]

“Will it hurt?” asked the man hesitantly.

“You've already arrived,” smiled the Other.

[As this is said the feather is allowed to float into the lap of the Magus]

The man smiled, slightly puzzled, but calm and strangely at peace with himself; it was only then that he realised the other feathers slicked down on the shoulders of his companion, but before he could raise this, the Other was already standing and smiling, saying,

“Come on now, it's time to go.”

Notes & Credits

The IT hook-up is John LeClair's animator, as described in his Video “Who's afraid of Invisible Thread”; some of the moves described I first read in Daniel Cros's “Daniel's Seahorse”. Both of these sources are highly recommended.

The story is supposed to be sparse and slightly opaque in nature. In my own mind it comes from a scene in Wim Wender's (original) “Wings of Desire”, where an angel invisibly hugs a man about to commit suicide, bringing peace to a soul in distress. Shockingly, the man still jumps, the calmness and inner peace giving him the final resolve. It's a great scene, and only a brief moment in the entire film.

It could also be applied to the shocking events of September 11, but I steered away from this as it is not my place to use material still so raw for many in the US; you may feel differently. The less the tale is ‘telegraphed' though, the better I believe, although it may be necessary to give the title of the piece, lest it be lost on some.

Steve Murray