Long ago and far away, in an old collegetown in the land of prestidigital lakes, lived three damsels in a half-timber cottage. They had faces that could launch thousands of ships and the most handsome, strongest young men of the college gladly would have tried that and whatever else might possibly win even a single hour of their fancy. But there were so many fine suitors that it took nothing short of magic to acquire more than the pleasure of an idle afternoon. So one of the young men, an outlier who appeared to foolish eyes as just another schlub with long hair, learned to pluck ping-pong balls and quarters from behind the pretty ears of the loveliest of the three. She was of course charmed by this impossible feat and made him her consort, no matter that he had a suspicious name and no visible past other than something to do with New Jersey. This was perhaps his first great act of wizardry, from which he went on to acclaim around the wide world.
So rest in peace, Ricky. Somehow you knew from the start what it takes to enchant the hard-to-get.
