You sat in a diner with your professor, Tom Buckley. The smell of strong coffee and bacon grease hung in the air. It wasn't unpleasant; it was quite a homely smell, even though you felt slightly out of place, sitting across from a man you'd only seen TA'ing in the lecture hall while Professor Matheson gave her usual spiel. As you sipped your strawberry milkshake indolently in the dim, yellowish light of the diner, Tom began palming a coin back and forth in his hands, then blew on his knuckles. When he opened his hands, he revealed—nothing. Tom specialized in debunking metaphysical phenomena. It only made sense that he would be able to pick up on a few tricks.

"Lift your glass, please," he said.

Hesitantly, you did as he asked. Sure enough, there lay the dime, underneath the glass of your strawberry milkshake. You chuckled,impressed by his little trick. He also did little things like that in class, too. For example, Professor Matheson would explain how one could make an ordinary coffee table seemingly levitate with the correct method of balance, using only their foot. And sure enough, Tom would demonstrate with the table he sat at.. You had to admit, you liked seeing it, even though you were a little old for magic tricks.

"You can't always trust your eyes,"

Tom stated as he rolled the coin on his knuckles. He truly was a fascinating guy. right now he didn't seem like the "serious" professor buckley you previously knew. Just a guy doing a magic trick..