(With apologies to Penn Jillette and/or Teller)
“I don’t understand,” the freckled witch admitted, holding the heavy metal device in her hands. “It looks like a gun. You invented the gun?”
“No,” replied the mustachioed wizard. “It’s not a gun. It’s a new type of magic wand.”
The witch arched her left eyebrow. “I think Penn & Teller do this bit in Vegas.”
“Okay,” replied the wizard, gathering his thoughts. “So, you know how there’s a transmission in human cars?”
“Well, seeing as how we are both humans. . . yes?”
“Okay, using a clutch to shift is a bit like using a wand. There’s a lot of ‘feel’ to it.”
“All right,” the witch responded with some comprehension.
“So, they have automatic transmissions to make the whole process easier.” He grabbed the device from her. “This is an automatic wand. There is a smaller wand inside attached to a computerized system that replicates standardized wand motions on a highly controlled but reduced scale.”
The witch cocked her head. “Well, do you still have to speak the spell aloud?”
“No,” the wizard explained. “There’s a miniature soundbar inside, so all you have to do is pull the trigger.”
“Like a gun?”
“I mean-”
“There looks to be limited space inside your ‘automatic wand’ and only one trigger. How many spells can it do?”
“Okay, so for right now, just the one.”
“Which one?”
“A,” the wizard paused, “. . .simple blasting spell.”
“What words accompany this spell?” the witch asked, smiling.
“Pew, pew,” the wizard admitted dejectedly.