"Is this thing on?" Alec asked, both eyes glancing nervously at the digital camera in front of him.
"Not yet but it will be soon," Jack replied as he handed him a fresh cup of coffee. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
"As a matter of fact..."
"Dude, we talked about this a million times already. Just pretend the camera isn't there and tell your story from the beginning. The world deserves to know what happened to you and you owe it to the world to tell the tale. Don't chicken out on me now!"
"But it's so embarrassing..." Alec mumbled. He sipped his coffee. It was almost as bitter as he was feeling at that precise moment.
"That's how the truth usually is," Jack laughed as if he were an expert on the subject matter which, coming from a guy who made a living making up fantastic news for the local tabloid, was ironic to say the least.
"No one is going to believe me."
"Will you cut that out? I believe you, for starters. And if I do, many others will, too. Think how dangerous it can be if you keep it all to yourself. Do you really want others to suffer what you did? If it happens again, will you be able to live with yourself knowing you could have exposed the whole thing when you had the chance?"
"I... I suppose you're right."
"Of course I'm right! When have I ever not been right? Well, other than that time when I believed Alicia Walker was really into me instead of just wanting to cheat on the Algebra exam, that is."
"Do you want me to go through all the times when you thought you were right before life threw you a curve ball?" Alec smiled, suddenly enjoying the conversation a lot more than he thought he would.
"No because we're not here to talk about baseball but rather share your experiences and record them for posterity. Now then, I'm going to turn the camera on and you're going to spill the beans... don't skimp on the details, no matter how crazy they appear to be. In a nutshell, tell me everything you told me."
"Okay," Alec nodded, still unsure this was the right course of action to take. Nonetheless, talking about it one more time could help him come to terms with the uncanny facts and their consequences. He had no desire to be the laughing stock of a bunch of strangers but he also didn't want to read detailed accounts of other people's traumatic experiences. Jack was right. He could save others if he just stopped being camera shy and got down to business, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
He looked at his friend, then at the recording device and, reminiscing about an old episode of his favorite 90's TV show, began talking.
"My name is Alec Rawlins. This may sound hard to believe but I was abducted. Now, before you think this is going to be a story about aliens and whatnot, please note that reality is far more outlandish than accounts of little grey men sticking probes up your ass. I was taken against my will by a hypnotic, dominant woman and forced to be her plaything for a little over two weeks.
"If you're one of those guys that jerks off to imagining stuff like this, I'm going to ask you to keep it to your pants because things weren't pretty. In fact, they were downright nasty. I too had plenty of fantasies in my teenage years but believe me no fantasy can prepare you for having your mind constantly raped by another person's thoughts and will. She forcefully brainwashed and indoctrinated me to do her bidding and I feel ashamed to even remember some of the things she had me do."
There was a pause. Then Alec faced his friend again and asked.
"How am I doing so far?"
"Wonderful. I love the flair for the dramatic you've been introducing at every turn. You really are a natural for this kind of thing."
"Seriously?"
"Of course! Now keep at it. I'll edit this hiccup afterward."
"Okay. So where was I going?"
"I believe you were about to introduce us to the one responsible for your predicament. What was her name again?"
"Sarah. Her name was Sarah. I met her by accident after a car crash at the Interstate. You probably think I offered to help her or something but it was actually the other way around. She came to me, asking if everything was okay and, just like that, I was captivated.
"A natural blonde with perky little tits trying to find their way out of a silver silk shirt, Sarah had the most amazing eyes I've ever seen. Yeah, I know how cliché this sounds but I swear to God it's the absolute truth. Their real color remains a mystery to me but it was somewhere between blue and green, or maybe green and brown, or maybe... hmmm."
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry, just got confused for a moment, don't really know why."
"Well, don't do that because I don't want to be editing stuff all the time. Her eyes were fascinating just as it's customary for hypnotists and mind-controllers and then what?"
"And then Judith said: It looks like you need me."
"Wait, who?"
"Sarah."
"But you just said Judith. You never called her Judith before."
"And I didn't call her Judith now either."
"Yes, you did, dude. Here, let me show you what I just recorded. Listen very carefully. What did you say?"
"I said Judith."
"Yes, you did."
"That's weird because I don't know any Judith and don't even like the name. Why did I say Judith all of a sudden?"
"Fits me but you need to be more careful. Perhaps we should start this from the beginning."
"No! Let me continue, please."
"Fine, but any more random mistakes like that and you're the one stuck with the editing, you hear?"
"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear. So Sarah looked me in the eyes and said: "It looks like you need me."
"I do?" I remember asking, somewhat taken aback by what I was seeing in her eyes.
"Yes, you definitely need me."
"Why do I need you?"
"You tell me."
"I don't know what to say."
"Most men are just like you, that's okay. But the truth remains that you need me, and I like that. I'm sure you like it, too."
"I... think so."
"So what?"
"I don't know that either."
