"Then again, in the original trick, the assistant's head manages to avoid the blades by simply... vanishing." The Magician placed his hands carefully on the leather hood. "Shall we see, ladies and gentlemen, if Karen is as lucky?" The audience went quiet.<br /><br />The Magician pulled the leather hood straight upwards, swiftly, then tossed it to the stage floor, where, empty, it collapsed a bit, still held mostly in place by the spike. Gasps of surprise filled the theater- for Karen had, indeed, managed to escape the spikes.