Lured into Science and Magic

He believed in the tooth fairy. He believed in Santa Claus. He had an imaginary friend named “Po Po” who looked like an Elf mixed with the comical mischief maker “Drop Dead Fred” from the film. But he was just now 7. He was too old to believe in such fairies and elves. But many noises in the walls of the Victorian mansion they lived in made him question the supernatural. He had dreams of being a wizard. He had seen ghosts or at least what he thought were ghosts. But as an altar boy, he shouldn’t be bothered with such imagination. Age 7, the normal year for kids to stop believing and parents to try to stop such active over-imagination.

His older brother was a stage magician. He wanted to be one too. Then one day his brother shared with him the mysteries and secrets of the trade. A kind of birthday present one could say. They lived in a Victorian mansion with a attic floor filled with nooks and crannies of ancient historic stuff. Revolving bookcases, and of course his brother’s studio of magic. A disappearing cabinet. A box that when placed on a audience member’s head, stabbed with knives, makes the head disappear. Classic linking rings, rabbit out of a hat, vanishing milk pitcher, and paper chains pulled from the depths of one’s mouth. Flash balls and fire wands. Young Thomas was in awe those days wandering around “the attic” and being gifted many of these treasured tricks. He was also very fascinated by rocks and minerals, gemstones, alchemy, and chemistry. He wanted to be a Geologist when he grew up. An Archaeologist too. His father took him and his siblings on many trips around North America looking at ancient sites and ruins. It were these inspirations that molded young Thomas. He wanted to be an adventurer. He had many dreams he would be. Someday these would come true.