Before you sits a small wood box, 4 x 4 inches and 3 inches deep. It’s very old. Circa 1920’s. Found at an estate sale in New Orleans. A bizarre artifact from days long gone. Inside this old box is the original Magic eight ball.
Sort of, back then it was a Magic 8 ball Cube. Used by Fortune tellers, mystics and mediums

You open the box and reveal 6 individual wood plaques approximately 3 x 3 inches each. Each plaque has a question engraved on one side and a symbol and answer on the other.
After deciding what presentation you will do, questions out or symbols/answers out, you talk about the provenance of the artifact as you casually assemble the plaques into a cube using a few tiny wood dowels to lock it together.

Once the cube is assembled you can now hand it out. The act of assembling the cube activates the werks inside and you now have a working cube that will silently signal a tiny receiver in your pocket any questions, symbols or answers the spectators have secretly chosen.

Have the spec twirl the cube around in their hands (like a Magic 8 Ball) until they decide to randomly stop. They look down at the question and remember it. Of course you know the question.

The alternate presentation with the plaques assembled with the symbol/answer side out, allows the spectator to think of their own question and let the Cube land on the answer to their question, which you will know.

The artifact does not need to be placed in a box or put under a shroud. They simply decide on a question and the cube signals what it is.

Once you know the question you also know the engraved symbol on the other side of the plaque. This opens up additional presentations.

The cube allows you to respond to a questions you could not possibly know, and it gives answers to questions like an arcane Magic 8 ball.

In a mentalism setting you can do a super hot reading because you know their question or the answer to a question no one knows.

We believe the concept of an antique cube you assemble at the table, is the ultimate evolution of this effect. The look of the artifact is beyond reproach, the werks are easy as cake, and the reactions are priceless.