Last Will
Adorning the eyes of the inlaid skull within the small box lay two coins: a half farthing, the humblest denomination in Victorian Britain, and a gold sovereign, conversely one of the most valuable. It is said that the departed souls would carry these coins on their journey into the afterlife. There, they would confront the ferryman’s trial, a test to determine their worthiness for passage.
It is told that they would be tasked to tender one of the coins to the ferryman, while the other they were to cast into the river of the dead, demonstrating their release from earthly attachments. Yet, what a quandary they faced! Should they offer the ferryman the half farthing, risking offense with such a meagre sum? Alternatively, surrendering the gold sovereign too readily might suggest a life fraught with hidden transgressions.
However, a twist intertwines within this narrative. Nestled within the box, within a pay envelope, lay a gratuity from the kin of the deceased for the undertaker’s services. A solitary penny for their vigil with the departed. Alas, the undertakers of yore were not always to be trusted. As they were often the last of the living to see the dead and their possessions, it was not uncommon for the gold sovereign to be surreptitiously substituted for their penny!
With the unexpected coins in hand, the hapless soul found themselves faced with even further choices in death.
Strange Stage Magic proudly presents Last Will
Inspired by Deddy Corbuzier’s Free Will the props you receive elevate this to the next level and the box does all the work for you! The participant makes all the choices and the final phase avoids any ambiguity as they will always read the prediction themselves.
You receive everything you need to perform. This includes;
– The ‘Deathday’ Box – a separate label inside the box so you can decide to add it or not yourself. (The box can be used in other routines to switch billets etc.)
– 1843 English Half-Farthing
– 1843 English Penny
– 1843 Gold Sovereign
– Undertaker’s pay slip envelope
– Victorian prayer card
All props have of course been aged to fit the period – whether this box was ‘used’ in ceremony or not of course will be up to you, however it may pose the question of how it was acquired if so! Please state in your ordering notes which version you would like;
Option 1 – Aged to look like an antique shop find
Option 2 – Dug up out of a grave!
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