I put down my espresso, and began: "My father was the celebrated magician, Alessandro Cagliostri. We didn't see much of him, our family - he travelled a lot, you see - but when he returned..." A lump formed in my throat, and for a moment I could not speak. "Uhm, when he returned, then it was like he had never left. We'd huddle around him all night long, while he showed us card tricks - much to the annoyance of my dear, long-suffering mother."
"Did he ever show you his world-famous sawing-in-half trick?" asked the writer.
I smiled, "Oh yes! He was always trying to improve it, you know, and experimented on us often, trying to get it as realistic as possible."
"And what about your family? You had two brothers I believe?"
"Half-brothers."
