My Ideobird research is generating ideas for other magic effects. I’m going to occasionally describe some of these without describing the method I’m exploring. The question is, how would you devise a method for the effect?

Everyday Things

The performer takes his wallet, keys, phone and watch and places them on the table. These are the four objects that most people now carry with them. Each of them are crucial to our lives. They each do different things although their uses are overlapping more than they used to. Without them we would be lost. 

The performer turns his back and asks someone to choose one of the objects and to hold it up so the audience can see what they have chosen. They then place it back on the table and move all the objects around a little.

The performer turns back around and picks up one of the objects. He now tells them which object they picked and what their choice says about their character.

The effect is self-contained. There are no other objects in play and no stooges are used.