Newbie 'Tist: It Works! It Actually Works??!!
by MTL Bear
A Hypnotic Tale writen for Hypno Bear
“It wasn’t my fault ! The torrential rain … me being nervous about driving Dad’s car … the slow traffic almost making me late for my class … I was sweating … the windows got steamed up …”, I caught my breath. “It wasn’t my fault !” I asserted one last time.
“Sure, Kid. Whatever you say” responded the mechanic. “You’re just lucky I hadn’t closed up”
All I could think was “How dare he call me “Kid”. I hate when people call me that. I’m 18 years old. I have a moustache (OK so it’s a little one) … and I’ve got chest hair. And I don’t care that I’ve known him since I actually was a kid or that his son and I used to be best friends … as kids. How can he not see … I’m no longer a “kid” !
“So how’s these repairs gonna get paid for ? Do ya wanna put it on your father’s tab ?”, he asked, smiling.
“No way!”, I said quickly. “He can never find out about this!”
“Ain’t gonna happen, kid. As soon as your Pop gets back from his business trip, I’ve got to call him and …”
“Please, Mr. H”, I pleaded. “ I’ll pay you out of my allowance savings. My father need never know I smashed up his bumper. He thinks I went straight to class after dropping him off at the airport … I want him to keep thinking that is exactly what happened.”
“No chance of that. He’s the owner. My hands are tied, Kid. Now you sit down in the waiting room while I write up the requisition form. Just tell your Dad what you told me. How can he be mad if it ain’t your fault? Cheer up, Kid. I won’t be more ‘n 10 minutes.”
Now my blood was boiling. How could he be so inflexible ? I had known him all my life. We had been neighbours forever. Did he call any of his other clients “Kid”? He needed to change his ways. But he is a foot taller than me, his bulky frame fills out his mechanic’s uniform … and then there’s his face … no way I was going to be the one to make him change his mind!!! Most people would say he wasn’t handsome … I’d disagree … to me … ever since I was little … I always thought of him as “ruggedly masculine”. Then, when I realized I was gay … I thought of him as “sexy and ruggedly masculine”. Give me a HOT mechanic oozing sexiness over a very handsome movie star any day ! But enough about my fantasies.
I plopped myself down onto one of the waiting room chairs and opened my backpack. I pulled out my psychology book … deciding to read the stuff I was missing in the class that was going on at the moment. A class I should have been in … I would have been in … if I had just seen that car better while I was trying to parallel park. But there’s no way I could have gone to class knowing my father’s car was all banged up. I drove directly to Mr. H’s garage because it’s close to the university … with the hope that he might still be open … and as luck would have it (the first time for me that evening) … he was just switching off the lights as I drove up.
I was aimlessly paging through my textbook … wishing I could find a way to convince Mr. H. to not tell my father what had actually happened, when the book fell open to tonight’s chapter. In all the rush to get here I had totally forgotten how excited I had been to go to tonight’s class … that’s why I had tried to park so hurriedly … and carelessly. It was to be our first class on hypnosis and its uses. I think I had read the chapter 10 times. No one (well at least the guys on the hypnosis web group I joined) believes me when I tell them I have been into hypnosis since I was a little kid. Any show where they tried to control someone with hypnosis … I made sure I bought the DVD, when I got older. I especially liked it when men were hypnotized. I tried to repeat the words they used and the tone of voice and anything else I could … just to get to the point of one day hypnotizing someone myself. The thought of it made me so excited. Many years ago I actually was going to try to hypnotize my friend, Mr. H.’s son … but I got so nervous I ran out of the room. It took a long time to calm down. Jeff thought I was acting weird … as usual. I think that’s one of the reasons we’re not really close anymore. He kept thinking I was getting weirder and weirder.
Then it suddenly hit me. What if I hypno’d Mr. H. ? I could make him “forget” to tell my father … maybe I could even get a discount on the repairs. The thought of it made my heart pump faster and faster. The thought of watching him fall slowly into trance was exciting. Maybe I WAS the one to get him to change his ways … or to at least stop calling me “Kid”. I reread several of the suggestibility tests that were in the chapter trying to see if I could somehow sneak one into the conversation. But they were very specific and anyone hearing them would get suspicious.
But then something else hit me. For tonight’s class, we were each supposed to choose one of the scripts and use it on a fellow classmate and take notes and hand it all in for the next class. I had gotten Roger B. to be my partner … who wouldn’t want to see the football jock with his hands stuck together. And now I was missing it all. I wasn’t going to have anything to hand in next week. I blurted out “Oh shit” … before I realized how loud I had said it … and that Mr. H. could probably hear me.
Mr. H came around the corner holding a clipboard and asked “What’s the matter?”
“I just realized I’m missing a very important Psychology class.” I said dejectedly.
“Hey, I can drive you to the university if you want, Kid”
“No, Mr. H. The prof doesn’t allow latecomers” I lied, “I can’t go now”
“Can I help ? What were you supposed to be doin’ in class ?” he asked.
I couldn’t believe it. It was like everything in the universe had fallen into place. It was like … the stars aligned … and I knew then that … I was supposed to try and hypnotize Mr. H. But then I remembered what had happened with his son … and I got all nervous again. What if I wasn’t up to it ? But then … deep down … I knew I was. Maybe.
I was going to show this man I was no longer a kid. I was going to show this man who was in control. I was going to show this man who was boss !!! Or get beat up trying !
“Sure”, I said nonchalantly. “If you don’t mind ... I need a partner and if you could be mine … that would be great.”
“A partner, eh? What do ya need me to do? What kind of psychological experiment are you gonna do on me? “ he asked nervously.
“It’s no big deal … really. It’s for my “Psychology of Advertising” class.” I lied convincingly. “We are supposed to test the theory that people are much more suggestible than they think. You know … the ad comes on and says ‘I bet you’re thirsty’ as they show a desert. And after showing the hot, hot sun for a few seconds they continue with ‘So why don’t you go out and buy our drink’. They used to say that about 10% of the population would actually go out and buy the drink. But now they’re saying that it’s more like 50% … it just takes some people longer to do it” I couldn’t believe how convincing I sounded. And my voice wasn’t wavering at all. My knees were shaking and my heart pounding … but thank goodness he wasn’t looking at them.
“I still don’t see what you need me for.” he said.
“Well”, I continued, “my partner has to listen to my suggestions and I write down how you react to all of them. Not that hard … right ?”
“Well, I hate to tell you Kid, but they ain’t gonna work on me. Advertising does not affect me in any way, shape or form. “
“Well, then, that’s what I would write down. But I really would like you to try first. I have to have something to hand in for the next class … I’ll explain to my prof what happened and that you, the mechanic, had agreed to be my partner. So can we try the first one now ?”
“The first one … how many are there ? I ain’t got all night”, he complained.
“There are only 3. They are written in my book. I just have to read them to you and see how you react. Can I start the first one … to see if it has any effect on you at all ?”
“Go ahead. Do your best.”
“Great. Thank you so much Mr. H. This will be a big help. So first you should sit down and relax as much a possible. You’re supposed to sit the way you would after you have been watching TV for several hours.”
He put down his clipboard, sat two chairs away from me and leaned back. He tried to get comfortable but wasn’t able to.
“This is stupid”
“OK, Mr. H. just sit there and think relaxing thoughts. Close your eyes and picture a nice relaxing place … a boat perhaps … floating down a river ..”
“What’s that got to do with advertising ?”, he demanded.
“I’m just trying to get you to a place where you would normally be after watching a lot of TV. Advertisers have done studies that after watching a long movie on TV, for example … the ads at the end of the movie seem to work best. So please … just let me help you get to that state of mind. Close your eyes … that’s right … close your eyes and listen to my voice. I need you to relax and let go. Just listen to my words … don’t try and fight it”
“You know I don’t watch TV with my eyes closed”
“I know … but we are trying to simulate the effects TV would have. The images ... the sound … all contribute to make you relax and let go. That’s right … keep your eyes closed … open your mind to my suggestions and just let go. No need to do anything other than listen to my voice.” I could have sworn that his shoulders were starting to droop … but it was probably just wishful thinking. I was surprised at how calm my voice sounded. After all those years of practicing … it looked like I might be able to do this.
I continued, “Closing your eyes helps you focus on my voice. It allows my words to have more impact than if I just said them to you with your eyes open. Keeping them closed helps you relax more as you listen to my words and helps you to respond to my suggestions.”
“You’re the boss, Kid.”
That stupid word again. “Good attitude, Mr. H.” What if this actually works? I was so excited I had to take a few deep breaths. Now I was ready. I opened my book and started to read with a calmness and assurance that shocked me. “I want you to take 5 deep breaths with me. Each time you breathe in you will think the word “RELAX” over and over again. And as you breathe out, you will think the powerful word “DEEPER” over and over again and it will take you to a deeper state of relaxation. NOW … take a deep breath … in … think RELAX … in …. think RELAX … in … think RELAX … NOW let it out. Out … think DEEPER … out … think DEEPER … out … think DEEPER INTO RELAXATION” The book said to repeat it 5 times … so I did. “Let’s do it again … take another deep breath … in … AND … think RELAX … in …. RELAX … in … think RELAX … NOW let it out. Out … think DEEPER … out … think DEEPER … out … think DEEPER INTO RELAXATION … Good. And again … breathe deeply, filling your lungs … in … RELAX … in …. RELAX … in … RELAX … NOW let it out. Out … DEEPER … out … DEEPER … out … DEEPER INTO RELAXATION. You are very relaxed and open to my suggestions. Breathe in … RELAX … in …. RELAX … in … RELAX … NOW out … DEEPER … out … DEEPER … out … DEEPER. Feeling so good and happy. Breathe … in … RELAX … RELAX … RELAX … NOW out … DEEPER … DEEPER … DEEPER. You are very open to any suggestions I give you … and it feels good to obey me.” I added that last bit … I had always wanted to say that. ”I want you now to see in your mind a grocery store. The vegetable and fruit section. You can smell the fresh fruit all around you. Take a deep breath in and smell the fruit even more. Do it NOW. Let my words relax you as the smells pour over you … taking you deeper and deeper into relaxation.”
He suddenly said in a very monotone voice “I smell apples, lettuce, oranges and peaches.” I wasn’t sure why he had said that but I decided to go on with the script.
“In the grocery store, there is someone cutting some fruit up … to give people to sample. She wants you to come over and taste the fruit she just cut. You’re not sure which fruit it is but you gladly take a slice. Now … as you relax and listen to my voice … get ready to taste the fresh fruit you just got. On the count of ‘three’ you will put the fruit in your mouth and you will really taste it. It will be very real for you. On the count of ‘three’ you will put the fruit in your mouth and taste it. After you put it in your mouth I will tell you which fruit it is. Ready now. One … two … three … tell me how the ‘LEMON’ tastes”
I looked up to see if he had any reaction. I was shocked to see his mouth pucker up like there was no tomorrow. I said “You can open your eyes now and tell me what the lemon tastes like.” He opened his eyes … looked around … and it seemed like he was a bit confused. His mouth was still puckering up and it didn’t look like he could stop it. I then got my notebook and asked “So Mr. H … tell me what that felt like ?”
He muttered “I ca.. ta…” which I think was “I can’t talk” so I then said “Oh sorry. The taste of the lemon is now gone”.
His mouth immediately stopped puckering. His mouth was back to normal. I was pretty sure he was going to be a great subject … I was beyond excited. But then he spoke …
“Did I get ya, Kid ? I had you fooled … right ?”
“So the suggestion didn’t work … at all ? No taste of lemon in your mouth at all?” I asked dejectedly.
“I got ya. You thought I followed your suggestion ... but I didn’t. Let’s try the next one”.
I could have sworn his reaction looked real and natural. I was very disappointed and thought I may as well go through with the other two suggestibility tests … hoping maybe one of them might work.
“OK Mr. H, on the next test I really want you to clear your mind … not to think of anything. I don’t want you to listen to my words as much a feel them. Can you try that for me ?”
“Sure, Kid, whatever you say. I promise not to have fun with you again”
“Good because I want to get a decent mark and if you keep joking my prof will think I didn’t do a good job. And I don’t want to fail the course.” I was doing so well in the course that I could not fail … but Mr. H didn’t need to know that. I was hoping by making him feel guilty … he might try a little harder.
I opened my text book again and read the relaxation part once more … putting lots of emphasis on RELAX and DEEPER ! When it looked like Mr. H was relaxed again … like last time …I started to read the next test. “With your eyes closed, stick out your hands directly in front of you with your arms perfectly stiff. I want you to use that amazing imagination you have and imagine … feel … that I am tying something to each of your wrists”. The book told me to pretend to tie something onto each wrist. It said something about the sensation would make the person find it more believable.
“There now that I have tied those things to your wrists you can slowly feel them pulling on each wrist. To your right wrist … I tied a helium balloon. Slowly but surely, as time passes, you will feel the balloon pulling your right hand upward. It will not feel uncomfortable … it will just feel lighter and lighter as the balloon pulls it up. I looked and could see his right arm slowly rising. To your left hand I tied a small paperweight. And it is having the opposite effect on your left hand compared to your right. It is very slowly being pulled down … your left hand is feeling heavier and heavier.” I looked up and his left hand was going down as his right hand was going up. I was so fascinated by the entire thing I just sat there and watched. I had read about this so many times and here it was working … or at least I hoped it was working.
I really wasn’t paying attention because I suddenly noticed his right arm was straight up in the air and his left arm was down at his side. All of a sudden he stood up as if the balloon was pulling him up … but his left hand was almost dragging on the ground. Either Mr. H was a very good actor or it had worked. But I wasn’t sure … and I tried to think of a way to find out for sure. I abruptly blurted out “before you open your eyes … I want you to realize that I am a man now and that you no longer feel like calling me ‘kid’ … from now on you will call me … ‘master’. You can open your eyes when I snap my fingers.” SNAP.
He opened his eyes and had a very strange look on his face. I asked him “Did it work this time … or are you joking with me, again ?.” He seemed unsure of what to say. But it also looked like he wasn’t able to change his position. He was still there with his right hand straight above him pulling him up and his left hand pulling him down.
“It did not work. I’m just fooling you. I got you again, Master.”
Then and there I knew that it had ACTUALLY worked. Maybe. Then and there I knew I could do hypnosis. Possibly. But I still wasn’t totally convinced.
“The balloon and paperweight are gone and you feel great!” I said beaming and his right arm fell to his side as he straightened up.
“I got you that time … didn’t I, Master ? You thought it really worked didn’t you,
master ? But now you know that suggestions do not work on me, master. Sorry about that master but I am just too smart and strong to be influenced by a bunch of stupid suggestions. Like I’m going to call you ‘master’, Master” Then and there I realized … I thought being called ‘Master’ would be HOT … but it really wasn’t … it made me feel uncomfortable … but it also encouraged me … it was like he couldn’t stop calling me that. Had the suggestion really worked ?! I hate to admit it … but I was beginning to miss being called ‘kid’. He had done it for so many years … it was … “our” thing. But I also knew I was tired of it. I just needed to find a better word.
“Alright, Mr. H. … if those two suggestions didn’t work … I’m sure this third one will have no effect as well. But I would like to try … so I can make a full report to my professor.”
“Go ahead, master … I kind of like this. I feel really great, Master”
“So for the last time … I really want to use your imagination.” But, I thought to myself, I want it based on a little reality as well. “I want you to look at your very greasy hands. And as you look at your hands you can feel them getting warmer … and as they get warmer … the grease begins to get stickier and stickier. Stare at your greasy hands and feel the grease get warmer and stickier … warmer and stickier. On 3 … I want you to clasp your hands together … and you will find that the grease has become so sticky that your hands will be totally glued together. The grease from both hands will join and your hands will be totally and completely stuck together when I reach 3.” Ok, so I was not following the script in the book. I was winging it. But I thought … hey … use what you’ve got. It might just work to my advantage. “On the count of 3 … your hands will be stuck together and you will not be able to pull them apart.”
“Now you’re just talking nonsense, master.” I was staring at him when he said that and I realized he did not take his eyes off his hands. And they seemed to be drawing closer and closer together. I smiled an evil smile … this was going to work. Hopefully.
“OK … on the count of 3 … your greasy hands … stuck together … completely. 1 … 2 … 3. NOW!” I looked up and watched as his hands closed in on each other and suddenly he was clasping them. And then … he made this strange face. “What’s wrong ?” I asked. “Nothing, master”, he replied. It was then that I realized he was trying to pull them apart. With all his might and strength he was trying to get his hands unstuck. And nothing was working and he looked worried. He looked up at me and he had a very scared look in his eyes. Almost like he didn’t know what was happening. But I knew. I knew and I was thrilled.
“Now listen to me Mr. H. I am going to count to 3 again. This time your hands are going to fly apart … but as they do you are going to fall into a deep trance … a deep state of sleep. It will feel so good and natural and wonderful and after that each word I say will keep taking you deeper and deeper into relaxation. No effort will be required.
You know this is going to happen and there is nothing you can do about it. ONE … TWO … THREE.”
Mr. H’s hands literally flew apart and his head dropped down onto his chest and his body slumped over in the chair. “DOWN … DEEPER … RELAX … DOWN … DEEPER … RELAX.” I stood up and slowly lifted his right arm. It dropped down totally limp. I did the same to his left arm. It was the same. At that point I became crazy … I started to jump around and silently say to myself … “I DID IT … I DID IT … I DID IT”
At least I was pretty sure I had. He could be faking it still … but he sure looked like a man deep in trance. But how could I find out. I had to make some suggestions or ask some questions … or both.
“Listen and obey … that’s all you have to do Mr. H is listen and obey. From now on … calling me “Master” does not make sense to you. So you will stop doing it. But you realize that calling me “Kid” doesn’t give me the respect I deserve. So I want you to think of some word that you would use … that you think shows me respect. Can you do that Mr. H.?”
I heard a very low, deep “sure” and nothing more. No nasty comment … no stupid remark. It made me want to do more. “And you realize how upset my father will be about what happened to his car, so for this time only, you are NOT going to tell him about the accident. Does that work for you? I heard a soft “mmm … mmm” … which I took to mean “yes”. With those suggestions out of the way … I couldn’t think of anything else to try … I was too excited. So … I decided to go a different route.
“Mr. H … I’m going to ask you some questions … and I want you to answer them truthfully. You have a very strong urge to answer all of my questions truthfully. Does that work for you, Mr. H. ?” And again came a low, murmured “sure”.
“A few minutes ago … I asked you to imagine you had a lemon in your mouth. You acted like you really did have one there … but then said you were faking it. Did you taste a lemon or were you really faking it?” He gave an answer but it was incomprehensible. So I said “When you answer my questions … you will sit up and speak in a very clear voice. Now … were you faking it … with the lemon?”
He sat up and said very clearly “No, I was not faking it. I had a very strong taste of lemon in my mouth. But I didn’t want you to think your suggestions had worked. I don’t want anyone to know how easily influenced I can be.”
“Really ?” That sounded intriguing. But I had other things I needed to know. “A few minutes ago I suggested something else. Did it feel like a balloon and a paperweight were tied to your hands?” Once again he replied, “Yes, I really felt them there and was very surprised and scared to see … when I looked at my hands … there was nothing there.”
“And just now … your hands … you could not unstick them … right?”
“No, I knew it was gong to happen when you first started to talk about it. I kept telling myself it wasn’t going to happen … but I knew it would. And it did!”
I was floating on air. I had found a truly amazing subject and I had totally got him under. The weird thing was … my body felt very strange. I was so excited that I was getting light headed. It was almost like I was in a trance as well. And then I noticed something else. I was rock hard. I hadn’t noticed it happening but it had. Something about this whole scenario had totally turned me on. I glanced over at Mr. H’s crotch and noticed he too had a bulge. I think we both were enjoying this more than we knew.
And then for some insane reason … a question popped into my head. It had been there for many years … I think I may have thought of asking Mr. H for a long time … but suddenly … I knew I could ask him and I would get the truth. So out it came.
“You must tell the truth … you must answer my question truthfully … why has your son become so distant to me ? Ever since he left for university he just doesn’t want to be my friend any more. Why is that?”
It seemed like Mr. H didn’t want to answer my question. But then he did … and I was sorry I had asked it. “He doesn’t want to be friends with you because he and his friends from university discussed you and they came to the conclusion that you are a “fucking fag”. Those are not my words … they are his.” He said the last part quite softly, apologetically.
I felt like I had just been punched in the face. I fell back into my chair and sat there for the longest time. I was in total shock. Someone I had been friends with all my life and that’s the way he now talked about me. And talked about me with others. I wanted to just go home and curl up in my bed. I was hurt beyond words. I wanted to cry … I wanted to scream … I wanted to run and hide … I wanted to yell.
Instead, I said “On the count of 3 Mr. H you will wake up feeling totally refreshed … not remembering anything that happened after your hands got stuck together. One … two … three.”
His eyes popped open and he looked up and smiled. “See … you couldn’t do it. I am strong… I am not affected by advertising. I am not easily influenced. My ex-wife is … was crazy. I hope you got enough for your prof.”
“Sure Mr. H. I guess I should be going home now.”
“What’s the matter ? Why so glum ? Never mind … just wait a few minutes while I write up the task sheet for your father’s car. And don’t worry … this one time only … I won’t tell him what happened. But you have to promise to drive more carefully. And I’ll give you the employee discount so the repairs won’t totally break you. The labor is free … you just have to pay for the parts.”
I was too lost in my depression to really have noticed everything that he said. I just replied dully “Thank you Mr. H.” He smiled, grabbed the clipboard and went into the garage. He was back in a few minutes and he offered me a ride home. I really wanted to be alone, but since we lived next door to each other it only made sense for me to go with him and not take a cab. The ride home was quite uneventful. Mr. H keep trying to get me to say that he had obviously not taken to any of my suggestions … and all I could think … over and over … was “fucking fag”.
I replayed, in my mind, all of the many, many hours Jeff and I had spent together. The laughs, the pain … the joys … the sorrows. We had always been there for each other. But when I figured out I was gay, many years ago, I somehow knew I couldn’t share it with him. And it now seemed I had been justified. I would love to have talked about it with his father but I just couldn’t. I started to wish my father hadn’t gone away on his business trip … maybe tonight would have been the night I finally told him I was gay … he has always been a good listener … but would he want to listen to that. Going home to that big empty house was not something I was looking forward to. I was thinking of calling my mother but her new boyfriend might answer the phone and I hated talking to him. Why did my parents have to get divorced! It was times like this that I wish I had a sister.
When Mr. H drove the car up his driveway I didn’t want to move. Mr. H. said “You’ll be needin’ a ride to university. I’ll give you a lift tomorrow mornin’ … but you’re gonna have-ta find a way to get back to the garage tomorrow night, if you want a lift home.” I started to protest that that wasn’t necessary but Mr. H. smiled and said “Don’t worry about it. ”
I looked out the window … it was still raining cats and dogs … a little harder than when I had tried to park my father’s car. The windshield wipers were beating out a rhythm which had me mesmerized. Many questions in my head kept time with the wipers…
Left to right …..
How did ……... Jeff know ?
When did he ….. find out ?
Why do I …….. care ?
What’s to ………be done ?
Should I do ……anything ?
The weather and the car were obviously adding to my depression and I could tell Mr. H was wondering what he could do. I was sure he thought the collision was affecting my mood. How could I explain that something he had said while deep in trance had brought me down so low. The questions were repeating themselves and I thought I would go crazy until he finally broke the semi-silence.
He said “Don’t worry … it’ll look brand new … your father won’t know what happened … unless you tell him … which you should. I’m just saying.” I replied “Thanks Mr. H. … I owe ya one.” It’s funny how you look at someone a certain way all your life … and then in one night … they change from being an object of your wet dreams … to someone you want to touch … to hold … to kiss … to cuddle … or anything else that came up.
And then he said “Trust me, Buddy, it’ll be alright … everything will work out.” Those words hit me like a ton of bricks … OK … just one word. He hadn’t called me “kid” … or “master” … but “buddy”. Like I was his equal … his friend … and of course my mind went immediately to “fuck buddy”. The questions were suddenly gone. The doubt was gone. I now wanted even more to do “it” with this sexy mechanic. No more worrying about the past … I was going to do something about the present. But what ?
My heart was pounding (as was my dick). Desire had replaced fear. Longing had replaced uncertainty. My erect penis made rational thought impossible. I looked up again at the window and I got an idea. The wipers were still going … Mr. H. was waiting for me to get out so he hadn’t parked the car in the garage yet. I looked at the flapping wipers and calmed myself before speaking. If this worked … I would truly be a hypnotist.
Very authoritatively I said “Don’t you find that looking at the windshield wipers going back and forth is very relaxing. Once you start to watch them you can’t take your eyes off them. Back and forth … back and forth … back and forth … relax and watch … relax and watch … back and forth.” As I was saying this … I realized I had forgotten to set up a trigger to get him back under. His revelation about his son had distracted me. I was now hoping to get him under again so I could set one up ... and maybe more. But at that moment … I needed to know if he was watching the wipers or looking at me like I had lost my marbles. I slowly turned my head and was disappointed to see it was the latter.
“What are you talking about, Buddy ?” he asked. “Nothing … nothing at all Mr. H. see you tomorrow morning … and thanks for giving me a ride home tonight. Sleep well”. I grabbed my knapsack and jumped out of the car into the pouring rain and hopefully … out of range of his perplexed stare. Maybe he wasn’t as good a subject as I thought. Maybe I wasn’t as good a hypnotist as I thought. Maybe I wasn’t a hypnotist at all. Maybe he had been joking with me the entire time. At least he was calling me “buddy” instead of “kid”. That was a good thing. I was definitely going to be jerking off about that tonight.
To be continued