The Note Inside the Sword

Ben had performed the folding-sword trick at every summer fair for twenty years, and his daughter Tessa had checked the prop for ten of them. An hour before this year's show, she slid the harmless blade into its handle. It stopped halfway. Something blocked the hollow grip. Tessa shook out a tightly rolled strip of red paper. In Ben's handwriting, it said: Ask Mayor Bell to cut the deck. Ben was across the tent, arguing with the mayor about canceling the show. Then he saw the paper in her hand. "Don't let him near the cards," he said.