"Ooh a hypnosis show! We should go!"
Greg was opening the mail and had opened a hand-written envelope address to him. Who writes letters anymore? Inside were two tickets to a hypnosis show hosted by "The Amazing Tim" and a personalised letter of invitation from Tim Paulson himself. Greg immediately recognised the name of his old college roommate and felt his stomach drop.
"Eh, I'm not sure honey, I don't think it's such a good idea..."
"Oh come on Greg, we never do anything fun! And look he's comp'd us a free meal and drinks for the night! We'd be stupid not to go. Why is he offering this anyway? Do you know this guy?"
Greg looked up at his wife Elizabeth, she was so excited about this. She could be such a kid sometimes, but it was just one of the reasons why he loved her so much. "Yeah, we were college roommates back in the day. Good friends in fact, but eh, let's say we had a falling out. Didn't end on the best of terms and I haven't spoken to him in nearly 15 years. This coming out of the blue seems a bit weird."
Elizabeth kissed the top of his head and wrapped her arms around him neck from behind. "Oh honey I'm sure he just wants to make up. It's been so long and I'm sure he's over whatever happened between you. C'mon, give him a chance and let's have some fun in the mean-time."
"Alright, I guess we..."
"Yes!" cried Elizabeth and fist pumped the air. She kissed him again and scuttled out of the room. "I'm gonna pick out something to wear for tonight, ooh I can't wait!"
Greg laughed as his wife skipped away. He didn't particularly want to mention that the reason him and Tim fell out back then is that he'd fucked Tim's girlfriend. Tim flipped out and they hadn't spoken since. Those days were long behind him though, he'd met Elizabeth soon after college and hadn't looked at another girl since. A perfect mix of brains, beauty and a loving nature, she was all he needed now. And maybe she was right, maybe Tim wanted to make-up and Greg was certainly willing to apologise.
***
"Oh wow, look at this place!" gasped Elizabeth as they entered the glitzy hotel. Greg murmured an agreement, a little taken aback by how nice the place was. He assumed hypnosis shows were limited to dingy hellholes with seedy clientele, but this place looked like fancy Vegas casino. Everyone was stylishly dressed and tastefully decked out waiters rushed around with bottles of expensive looking champagne on trays. They wound their way through the crowds looking for Tim's show. Greg caught a few guys sneaking glances at his wife and chuckled to himself. Elizabeth was gorgeous and the low cut emerald dress she wore did nothing to hide it. Her long blonde hair framed a slim face with striking blue eyes and a near constant smile on her face. Greg didn't care about other men looking, he knew she was all his.
Greg wrapped his arm around her lower back and guided her over to a doorway with "The Amazing Tim!" emblazoned above it. A doorman manning a red velvet rope blocked the entrance to the room. There was a significant line for entry but Tim's letter got them straight in and escorted to a private booth right at the front. Their first champagne flutes were served straight away and the steak dinner arrived just as the support act came on stage to warm up the crowd. After they'd finished their food, Elizabeth snuggled into his arm and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for coming in the end, I'm having a great night already," she beamed up at him. Greg kissed her back and agreed, this was turning out to be a good night after all.
The Amazing Tim came out on stage soon after to rapturous applause. Tim had clearly built quite a following. He noticed them sitting in their booth and shot Greg a quick thumbs up, which Greg returned. Maybe reconciliation was on the cards? Greg was a little taken aback by how little Tim had changed in the intervening years. His hair had a touch of grey and his face was a little lined, but otherwise it was the same old Tim from college.
And Tim brought the house down with his show. He was charming, he was funny and it certainly looked like he knew how to hypnotise. He used what looked like a silver necklace, embedded with a sizable ruby. Swaying it before his subjects' eyes, they seemed to become placid and willing to do whatever Tim suggested. One by one, volunteers danced, clucked, barked, mimed and removed clothing (but nothing too outrageous). They were either very good actors, or Tim really could hypnotise people. Greg felt a twinge of worry, you couldn't make someone do something they didn't want to while hypnotised, could you?
Suddenly the house lights went out and a spotlight illuminated Greg and Elizabeth. "And now!" announced Tim, "For the grand finale! Please welcome, a personal friend of mine, Greg! And his lovely wife, Elizabeth!" Greg's ears rumbled with the roar of the applause as he tried to think how he could get out of this. Elizabeth, however, was fully caught up with the moment and was pulling him up out of the booth towards the stage. Greg let himself be led helplessly, he had a horrible sinking feeling that this would not end well.
Tim welcomed them on stage, giving Greg a friendly hug and Elizabeth a chaste kiss on the cheek. They were directed to two seats set up for them, and after a brief preamble that Greg couldn't focus on, Tim produced the silver necklace with the ruby and began swaying it gently before them. But now that he could see it up close, it wasn't a ruby, it was a... sapphire? No, an emerald. Greg's entire focus was on the mysterious stone, which now seemed to be a topaz. No, a diamond. He was aware Tim was whispering in his ear, the words penetrating his very being, but he couldn't worry about that while looking at the stone...
***
Greg blinked and looked around him. He was back in the booth with Elizabeth, the auditorium was empty and the cleaning staff were tidying up empty glasses and plates. "Honey, what just happened?" Elizabeth whispered as she clutched his arm. Greg had no idea, but he knew they needed to get home, now. They grabbed their coats and made a beeline for the door. Halfway across the room however, Tim came through the very door they were aiming for and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Hey guys, that was some performance out there tonight, why don't you follow me?" Without waiting for a response, Tim exited the room. Alarm bells were blaring in Greg's head, but he found himself following Tim to the elevators anyway, Elizabeth beside him. In the elevator, Tim told them they couldn't make a noise, and it was true. Greg looked silently at his wife and the look of panic on her face broke his heart. He had vowed to always keep her safe, but he was completely out of his element here.
The elevator relinquished them, and Tim guided them to a nearby room. Locking the door behind them, he asked them to sit on the edge of the bed. Greg obeyed, knowing he had no other option. Elizabeth sat down beside him and clutched his hand. Tim leaned into Elizabeth's ear and whispered something Greg couldn't catch. Elizabeth's eyes closed and her head drooped forward, her hand on Greg's became lax.