The Deal by Leonard Michaels, 1964
The magic trick:
Forcing the reader to confront their feelings about difficult things
L is for Leonard.
Intense stuff today on the magic tricks site.
“The Deal” manages to make you uncomfortable in about 56 different ways.
You will confront sexism, racism, difficult feelings about socioeconomics, gender relations, power dynamics. You name it. How do you feel about those things? This story will make you take a personal assessment.
It’s not fun.
But necessary.
And that’s quite a trick on Michaels’s part.
The selection:
“Twenty-five cents,” she said again.
Tito whined, “Gimme twenty-five cents.”
“Shut your mouth,” said the hat, and turned a grim face to his friend. In the darkness of his eyes there were deals. The music ceased. “Hey, baby, you got no manners? Tell what you want.” He spoke in a dreamy voice, as if to a girl.
“I want a joke,” said green eyes.
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