INTERNET FAMOUS
Chapter 3
by StageShowMM
It was around 8:30 in the evening, and Mark and Tyler had just arrived at Todd’s apartment, making their way up the walk to the front door outside the building. Mark stood on the walkway while Tyler anxiously photographed, barely able to contain his excitement. “It’s ringing, dude, it’s ringing!” Mark exclaimed.
“Hello?” You could faintly hear on the other end.
“Hey, is this Todd?”
“Yeah. Who is this?”
“Todd, are you sitting down right now?”
“Seriously, who is this?”
“Todd, this is Mark with markmywordz. I hypnotized you last week.”
There was a long pause. “...What?” Todd sounded totally baffled.
“Todd, no matter what happens keep the phone pressed to your ear. Make sure you have somewhere comfortable to lie down and SLEEP NOW.”
There was a loud thud and some rustling on the other end of the line, then silence. Mark gestured dramatically toward his cell phone, indicating what was going on was clearly the shit.
“Todd, can you hear me?”
“Yesss...” Todd’s speech was slow and drawn out, as though drifting out during a deep sleep.
“You remember my voice, don’t you?”
“Yesss...”
“Todd, at the count of three, you’re going to open your eyes, come downstairs and meet me and my friend. We’re going to go on a little trip together. Do you understand?”
“Yesss...”
The camera jiggled, shaking with Tyler’s laughter.
“At the count of three, Todd, come downstairs and meet us at the door. One... Two... Three!” Mark snapped into the phone. There was some slight rustling on the other end.
Mark and Tyler spent the next minute or two waiting in agonized suspense. “Shit, dude, do you think he’s really coming?” Tyler kept asking, still disbelieving. He had seen Mark pull off quite a bit on people in his day, but never without Mark actually being present in the room. If what Todd was saying on the other end of the line was true, they were basically executing a perfect kidnapping a week after meeting the guy.
Finally, after nearly two minutes, Mark and Tyler noticed a figure in the building’s lobby, and Tyler immediately whipped his camera around to capture Todd sluggishly pulling open the exit door.
“Hoooly shit, man!” Tyler yelped, jumping with glee, as the two jogged over.
“Todd! Hey buddy! Good to see you!” Mark said, throwing an arm around the zonked boy’s shoulder. Todd’s eyelids were half to three-quarters closed, and he looked for all the world like he was sleepwalking.
“Okay, great, just come with me, man. We’ve got a nice place for you to sleep,” Mark cooed, gently ushering the boy along. They made their way as quickly as possible, given Todd’s halting stagger, to Tyler’s car, and Mark quickly pulled open the door and ushered Todd into the back seat, sliding in next to him. He waited patiently while Tyler slid in the front passenger side, still holding the camera.
“That’s great, Todd! Good job! And SLEEP,” Mark said, snapping next to Todd’s ear. Todd immediately melted into the seat, out like a light.
“Aw, shit, dude, what do we do now??” Tyler asked excitedly.
“Drive to the Burger King, man,” said Mark.
Tyler quickly slid over to the driver’s seat, turning off the camera, and started the car down the road as Mark stayed in back, working with Todd to further deepen his trance. Repeatedly, Mark lifted Todd’s arm at the wrist, letting it fall like a wet fish back into his lap. Todd’s entire body was devoid of tension. His mouth hung open and his closed eyelids gently fluttered. In all his subjects, Mark had never seen such a profound state of trance.
By the time they reached the Burger King, which was only about a mile away, Todd’s mind was basically mush. He would have done anything Mark asked him. For now, however, Mark simply instructed Todd that in a moment he was going to wake, feeling rested and refreshed, and follow his good friends into the restaurant. He wouldn’t mind that Tyler was videoing the whole time, and he would feel very comfortable and at ease around the two of them—eager to do as either instructed.
As Mark snapped his fingers, Todd quickly came around, looking for all the world like he normally would on any given day. “Come on, man, let’s go inside,” said Mark, and Todd quickly nodded, opening the door to the car and stepping out. With Mark again throwing his arm over Todd’s shoulder to guide him, Todd quietly followed the two in, where they conducted him to an empty booth toward the back and sat down.
“Great job, Todd. SLEEP, way down, deeper than ever before,” Mark said, giving a quick tug on Todd’s arm. Todd immediately collapsed onto the table before him, looking like he’d just passed out at the end of a four-day bender.
“Holy shit, dude, this guy’s a goner,” Tyler gasped.
“Hold onto that camera,” said Mark, remaining focused. “But don’t start rolling again ’til I tell you.” He leaned over and whispered a bunch of things in Todd’s ear. Todd nodded. What a good boy.
“All right, one, two, three, wide awake,” said Mark, snapping next to Todd’s ear again. Todd raised himself up off the table, taking a deep breath and looking around, blinking. “Say it to Tyler, man, right after me,” Mark prompted, indicating to Tyler he should start filming.
“Hey, whatup, guys, this is markmywordz2009,” said Mark, flashing a peace sign at the camera. “I’m here with my boy Todd from last week, and we’re ready to have a little more fun with hypnosis, aren’t we, Todd?”
“That’s right! I watched last week’s video, and it was such a blast you guys, I couldn’t wait to try again. I’m ready to be hypnotized whenever you are,” said Todd, grinning ear to ear.
“You ready to get even wilder than last week?”
“Oh yeah! Do your worst!” Todd grinned excitedly.
“That’s great, Todd. Just look me in the eyes right now, then,” said Mark, turning to the side and grabbing Todd’s hand with his right while he laid the left on Todd’s shoulder. Todd turned his attention as directed, eyelids already drooping the second his gaze found Mark’s.
“That’s great, Todd. Breathe deep, relax, and Mark My Words: SLEEP,” said Mark, yanking Todd’s arm while steadying his shoulder and immediately sending his head flopping forward into a state of instant, profound sleep. “Very good, Todd,” continued Mark, letting go of his prey and watching as he slumped back like a corpse against the booth, mouth hanging open in catatonia.
“Very good,” said Mark again, laying a hand on the prone boy’s shoulder. “Now Todd, the fun’s about to begin. In a moment, I’m going to wake you up. When I do, you will politely excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. Once inside, you’re going to strip off every piece of clothing you’re wearing except for your underwear, fold them neatly, forget you ever did so, and carry them back out, unaware you’re in your underwear or that you’re carrying a pile of clothes with you. Nod your head if you understand.” Todd nodded obediently.
“All right, Todd. This you will do... At the count of one... two... three... wide awake.” Mark snapped.
Todd’s eyes popped open, and he looked around, re-establishing his bearings. “Oh, uh, sorry, guys. I need to go to the restroom,” he muttered, nearly pushing Mark out of the booth in his desire to get free. Tyler and Mark sniggered, Tyler filming the entire time, as Todd quickly made his way to the nearby bathroom and slipped inside.
“Shit, dude, are you serious? Holy fuck, he might get in trouble,” tittered Tyler, keeping the camera trained on the door. All this would be edited out or sped up later.
“I know, man, I know. Just watch...” said Mark, unconcerned with the consequences.
After around a minute or so, the door opened again and out stepped Todd, wearing nothing but a tiny pair of briefs and carrying a neatly folded pile of his clothes in his hands. Mark quickly hopped out of the booth, allowing Todd to slide back in, then followed, blocking him.
“Sorry about that, guys,” said Todd apologetically. “All better now.”
“No worries, man. Why don’t you put both your hands on the edge of the table right there?” asked Mark, gently guiding Todd’s hands to the lip. “Lower your head, and just go deep asleep,” he continued, gently guiding Todd’s head into his chest with one hand while with the other he firmly and confidently snapped once directly in Todd’s ear. Todd’s entire body visibly (and the muscles and tendons were all quite visible!) relaxed, his head sliding down until his forehead was touching the table, shoulders and chest deflating alongside. Thankfully, Mark, the expert hypnotist, had left him with a physical anchor that kept him largely in the appropriate position, given his already displayed propensity for flopping all over the place.
“That’s good, Todd, very good. Just breathe deep and continue relaxing,” he said, leaving his hand resting gently on Todd’s bare shoulder. Surely, at some depth of his mind-fucked consciousness, poor gay Todd remained aware of the hot young man’s intimate contact, and that only helped his mind remain more open and receptive.
“Todd, in just a moment, I’m going to say the word ‘countdown.’ When I do, in your mind—and only in your mind—you’re going to begin counting down from thirty to one. When you reach the number one, you will return to full consciousness, aware of your surroundings and the way you’re dressed, but with absolutely no memory of how you got here. Nod if you understand.” Todd nodded softly. Meanwhile, the camera was jiggling Tyler was snickering so violently. He loved Mark’s sadistic imagination. It seemed to go into overdrive whenever he’d meet a nerd or a douchebag—and Todd was definitely the former.
“All right, Todd,” said Mark, finally removing his hand from the nape of Todd’s neck. “Begin your countdown now.” He and Tyler quickly leapt to their feet, Mark grabbing Todd’s pile of clothing, and the two dashed to another empty table across the room, leaving the poor, near-naked Todd sitting in his stupor, none the wiser.
After just a little under thirty seconds, the boy stirred. It started with a gentle twitching in the eyelids, which slowly blinked themselves open. The poor, near-naked boy let out a soft exhalation. From across the room, Tyler zoomed in, trying to get a close view while at once keeping Todd’s body (or at least what was visible above the table) in frame to prove there was no trick.
Looking down, Todd seemed to stare first at and then past his hands, resting on the table. Suddenly, he jolted, finally realizing he was seated in nothing but his underwear. Eyes going wide, Todd looked up in panic, his face first blossoming crimson before all the blood drained out, leaving behind a deathly pale. Cowering in the corner of the booth, the poor boy pulled his legs toward himself, quivering, repeatedly looking back up and down as though trying to convince himself he’d misapprehended something. But no, the truth was as immutable as it was unfortunate: he was almost stark naked in the middle of the restaurant, with absolutely no idea how he’d gotten there.
The view from the camera continued to jiggle, magnified to a seismic quake by the extremity of the zoom, as Tyler laughed. Mark shushed him, pulling him further back behind the trellis-like divider that partitioned one section of tables in the restaurant from another. Todd continued to look around, shuddering, mind slowly coming to grips with the reality of his predicament and now trying to determine how he would extricate himself.
Ducking beneath the table briefly, Todd searched in vain for his clothes. Surely, they had to be around here somewhere, didn’t they? How could he have gotten here? How could they have gone missing? It was like a waking nightmare. He’d never felt so vulnerable and exposed in his life.
Unfortunately, the area beneath the table yielded no salvation. Todd was still on his own. Mind reeling, he sat, frozen, trying to think of some kind of escape. The interior of the restaurant seemed familiar. Was this near his house? He wondered if there was something in the bathroom he might be able to help cover himself with, or if he should just attempt to slink out unnoticed. It was dark out—perhaps he could slip across town without being seen, if he kept to the shadows. That was, assuming this was that nearby Burger King. Didn’t they all kind of look the same?
As Tyler and Mark watched, Tyler still snickering, Todd slowly slid out of the booth, crouched and looking almost feral, and crept barefoot toward the door to the men’s room. “What the fuck is he doing?” Mark muttered, even as Todd slipped through the door. Tyler zoomed back. “What do we do, bro?”
“Give it a minute. Let’s just see if he comes out…” Mark said, holding his friend back. He had to admit, he was a little worried that the poor, naked young man might actually try to escape, but if he recalled correctly, the room was windowless, so he figured it was safe waiting to see how things played out. Perhaps Todd had gone in to look for his clothes, or maybe he had another idea entirely.
After a few moments, the question resolved itself, as the young man emerged in a ridiculous state of dress, quivering hands holding a couple crepe-thin toilet seat covers around his waist in a crude approximation of a towel. It didn’t do much to cover him up, but given the skimpy nature of his underwear, it was a start. Tyler almost burst into guffaws, zooming back in as the camera jiggled wildly, while his friend socked him in the chest, trying to get him to maintain his composure.
Still looking around and shaking, Todd slowly began to tiptoe down the aisle, eyeing the restaurant door in between him and where Mark and Tyler were hiding. Thankfully for Todd, the long section of the restaurant where he was located was empty, which was the only thing keeping the poor boy from dying of shame. But around the corner were the counters and, unbeknownst to him, a customer or two, at least one of whom was irritably eyeing the two idiots with the camera as he tried to enjoy a newspaper and late-night cup of coffee. Even in a quiet suburb like this, they always came out at night. Idiot kids.
Realizing he was only a matter of seconds away from having to deal with his puppet making a run for the door, Mark finally decided to intercede, whispering, “Stay here,” as he ducked out from behind the divider, shrugging off his jean jacket. Todd jumped as he realized he’d been spotted, but noticing the handsome stranger holding out a coat, relaxed a little, while remaining frozen in place, quivering.
“Hey man, you all right? Let me help you,” Mark offered warmly, slathering on the charm like any master manipulator. Shakily, Todd reached out and grabbed the jacket, slipping it on even as the toilet seat covers fell from his waist in a flutter. Reaching down, he picked them back up, holding them in front of his crotch for protection.
Due to a lack of mics, the audio in this part of the video is hard to hear, though it would eventually be subtitled: “What’s going on?” Mark asked.
“I… I don’t know, how I got here…” Todd babbled, seeming ready to cry.
“It’s all right, man, I’ll take care of it,” said Mark, turning the poor boy and guiding him back toward a booth. “You just sit right there and SLEEP,” he said, unexpectedly yanking the boy’s hand. Todd’s already-overloaded mind blinked out like a light, and he collapsed, melting all over the cheap table in a sprawl.
Finally allowing himself to chortle, Tyler dashed from behind the divider and back to the action, going in for a close-up on the poor, sleeping boy. For his part, Todd simply lay there, seeming totally at peace, mouth hanging open gently as the corner of his lips began to sparkle with drool. “Fuck, dude, he is so far gone…” Tyler snickered.
Mark smiled, yanking his jacket off Todd’s bare shoulders and pulling his arms out one by one, all as the boy simply lay there, lost in dreamland.
“You ready to get out of here?” Tyler asked.
“Not yet,” Mark grinned, slipping his jacket back on.
“Todd,” he continued, once more laying a hand on the boy’s shoulder as he continued sleeping, stripped back to his undies, “in just a moment, I’m going to say ‘countdown’ again. When I do, you will once again count to thirty and awaken. This time, however, you’re going to realize you’re totally dressed. You have no recollection of anything that’s happened so far, you just know you came to BK ’cause you’re absolutely starving. You’re going to want to go up to the counter, order whatever you feel like, and if anybody tries to tell you you’re not wearing any clothes, you’ll think they lost their mind. You are 100%, totally, completely and normally dressed. Nod your head if you understand.” Todd nodded gently as Tyler continued to giggle. He never could’ve thought this shit up in a million years.
“One more thing, Todd,” Mark added, looking over and grinning at the camera. “If at any time until I say otherwise anyone should ask you a question, you’re suddenly going to feel yourself overcome with the most… orgasmic feeling…”
“Oh-ho-ho... no!” Tyler laughed in disbelief. He couldn’t believe Mark was really taking this so far.
“Yes, you’re going to feel yourself basically having a loud, super intense orgasm, the most intense pleasure you’ve ever felt in your life. Every single time anyone asks you a question. Nod if you understand.” Todd nodded. His mind was absolute putty in the young man’s hands.
“All right, Todd. All these instructions remaining deep in your subconscious. Ready to begin your countdown now!” Mark said, dragging Tyler back to the side. “By the door, man, by the door,” he whispered, simultaneously running the numbers in his own head. He figured the entryway, which was parallel to the counter where one placed an order, was the optimal vantage, since inside the main area of the restaurant were a couple diners who might interrupt them. He wanted an unimpeded view of Todd’s humiliation, unless someone decided to intercede directly with the boy himself.
Realizing Tyler, in his frenzy of glee, had abandoned Todd’s clothes by their previous vantage point, Mark dashed over and grabbed them, wanting to have them in hand in case they had to make a run for it. He was just about reaching thirty as he returned to Tyler’s side—and, apparently, so was Todd, as he began to stir from his slump at the table and slowly sat back in the booth.
Blinking groggily as he regained his bearings, the boy slid out of the booth and trotted, completely un-self-consciously, down the aisle and around the corner to the counter, where the lone, beleaguered night shift worker spotted him and did a double-take.
“Hi, can I please get a Number Four with a large Coke? Oh, and a side of the chicken tenders. I’m starving!” Todd said cheerfully, completely unaware he was standing in the middle of the restaurant wearing nothing but a pair of briefs.
“Kid, why the hell you not wearin’ any clothes?” the cashier—Marta—asked, shaking her head. She’d seen a lot of things on the night shift, but this was a new one.
To her surprise, instead of protesting or even acknowledging her statement, Todd instead doubled over, gripping the counter for support as he began to audibly groan. It sounded for all the world like the young man was having a spur-of-the-moment orgasm, and the sinuous twisting and convulsing in his legs seemed to confirm it.
“Kid, you all right?” Marta asked in astonishment, not sure if the young man was playing some kind of a prank or having a stroke.
“Awww, yeah!” Todd moaned, sounding less like he was in agony than someone was working the head just right.
Leaning out further to check on the boy, who was now nearly doubled over in front of the counter, it was then that Marta spied the couple guys standing by the door, and suddenly realized the whole thing was some kind of prank.
“This your boy?” she yelled, eliciting a fresh round of groans from Todd, who was by now slumped up against the side of the counter, shakily humping the floor.
“Ah, shit, dude,” Tyler muttered, even as Mark—ever quick on his feet—was already stepping in.
“Yes ma’am. Sorry. He’s just had a bit too much to drink…”
“This boy ain’t been drinkin’,” Marta scoffed, as Mark stooped down to help his “friend.”
“You need to get his ass home and get him to bed insteada filmin’ this shit for the Internet,” she scolded, shooting daggers at Tyler, still snickering in the distance. “He needs some water and a good night’s sleep, not you playin’ some dumbass trick on him. You hear me?”
“Ohhhhhhhh!” Todd groaned again, collapsing once more even as Mark tried to drag him up.
“I need… Number Four… and some nuggs!” Todd gasped, mind still latched onto being ravenously hungry.
“That his clothes you carryin’?” Marta asked, suddenly noticing the wad of fabric beneath Mark’s shoulder.
“Uhhhhhh… ohhhhhhhhhh,” Todd moaned, sliding back to the ground like a wet dishrag. Mark dove down, yanking the boy up from under both armpits even as his quivering legs refused to support him. Propping the young man against his shoulder, Mark waved good-bye and beat a hasty retreat, Todd staggering along beside him.
“I don’t know what shit you kids takin’ these days but it’s gonna get you killed,” Marta scoffed, shaking her head and heading back toward the kitchen to explain the ruckus. How many hours were left on this shift anyway? They didn’t pay her enough to deal with this…
Back in the car, Mark tossed Todd into the back seat like the catch of the day, piling his rumpled clothes up on top of him. The boy was finally starting to come back around by now, mind recovering from its repeated infusions of orgasmic bliss, and the young redhead lay there, lolling about in the seat, still going on about his meal. “I want… chicken… sandwich…”
“What you want is to sleep,” Mark snapped, sending the boy slumping back into dreamland. Folding his legs up, Mark managed to squeeze the young man’s lanky frame inside and shut the door, rounding the car and climbing in the other. Raising the boy’s head to squeeze in, he left him sleeping on his leg, as Tyler climbed in in front of him.
“Holy shit, that was hilarious!” Tyler exclaimed, tossing his camera into the seat next to Mark and starting the vehicle.
“You think we got enough?” Mark asked.
“Fuck yeah! That shit was the bomb. You’re gonna get a million hits.”
“Good. Let’s take him back and you can start editing,” Mark said, beginning to draw a repeated line across the young man’s forehead and commencing a series of deepeners. “Breathe deep for me Todd. That’s good. You’re doing absolutely wonderful...”
The car wended its way out of the parking lot and down a series of thoroughfares, passing through the small downtown arts district and taking a circuitous route to avoid the train tracks. Just as the car slipped under a bridge, Mark did a double-take as he saw something out the window. “Pull over, dude, pull over!” he exclaimed.
“Why?” Tyler asked, nevertheless guiding the car to the side.
“You’ll see,” winked Mark, popping the door open with a grin.
A week later, Todd was just putting his dishes in the sink after dinner as he was interrupted by a buzz on the intercom to his apartment. Shaking his head curiously, he walked over and pressed the button. He had no idea who it could be at almost eight in the evening. Maybe a delivery he’d forgotten about? Though he couldn’t recall any packages he’d ordered…
“Hello?” he asked, almost more confident it would be a mistake than anything.
“Heya Todd! It’s your Good Friend Mark,” a voice crackled through the speaker. For some reason, Todd felt a strange sense of calm rush over him, like suddenly he was walking through a happy fog. Of course. His Good Friend Mark. He liked to come over sometimes. He should let his Good Friend Mark in.
Smiling dreamily, Todd pushed the button to buzz the door, slowly shuffled over and unlocked the entrance to his apartment, and then just stood there, not sure what to do but blissfully happy his friend was coming.
A minute or two later, there was a soft knock, and the door cracked open. Mark, wearing his trademark fedora, poked his head through. Grinning, he pushed the door open all the way, admitting not just himself but someone else Todd only vaguely recognized, as if from somewhere long ago or far away. The guy had a satchel over his shoulder, and waltzed into Todd’s apartment like he owned the place, same as Mark. Clapping a hand on Todd’s shoulder, Mark exclaimed cheerfully, “Great to see you, man! Why don’t you grab a seat on the couch and we can watch some movies. Did you get that beer like I told you?”
Todd nodded. Normally he couldn’t stand most beers, but he knew his Good Friend Mark liked PBR, so he had decided to start keeping some on hand for whenever he might drop by. Todd shuffled to the kitchen to grab some while Mark and Tyler made themselves at home, sprawling on the couch while Tyler pulled a laptop out of his satchel and set it up on the table. Also extracting his digital camera, he popped open the viewfinder and got everything set up, so that by the time Todd, still shuffling as if narcotized, got back from the kitchen with the beers, they were ready to roll.
“Great, thanks, man,” said Mark, grabbing his can and popping the tab with a pfft, slurping down the head before it overflowed the lip. Todd must have carried these home from the supermarket—as far as Mark could tell, he didn’t own a car.
“You ready to watch some movies?” Mark asked. Todd nodded. He wasn’t really sure what they watched, but he knew he always loved to watch movies with his Good Friend Mark.
“Great. I just wanna get you ready so you’re properly enthusiastic,” Mark smiled, patting the space on the couch next to him. Foggily, Todd took a seat, still happy as a clam, though wondering what his Good Friend Mark meant by “properly enthusiastic.”
“SLEEP,” Mark said, yanking down on his arm and sending the boy collapsing like a ragdoll against his tormentor.
He was about to find out.
Blinking his eyes, Todd sat back up on the couch, realizing he must’ve faded out for a second. Next to him was a handsome young man in a hat, jean jacket, t-shirt and tight black pants, who Todd recognized as the hypnotist he had met in the park a few weeks ago. Next to him was another young guy, a bit dumpier, in a tee and baggy cargo shorts, hemp necklace and scruffy, mussed hair. Todd recognized him as the cameraman. In fact, he was holding a small video camera at the moment, aimed squarely at him—which was only natural, Todd realized, as he had agreed to help film an interview.
“Hey guys, what up, this is markmywordz2009,” the young guy was saying. “We’re here again today with my boy Todd—say hi to the fans, Todd.” Todd smiled and gave a shy wave.
“Now, before we roll this week’s video, I wanted to have a little chat with our man here, ’cause, Number One, I’ve been getting some comments this shit is fake—which, come down and give it a try then if you’re so sure—and Number Two, you’re about to see some whacked-out shit in this video and I just wanted you to know no Todds were harmed in the making of this production. Isn’t that right?” Todd nodded again. Of course not. Mark had barely made him do anything. He didn’t even understand what the big deal was. But for his Good Friend Mark, he was happy to help.
“Now Todd, I just wanted to ask you before we begin, when we watch this shit in a second, you are 100% hypnotized, right?” Todd nodded again.
“Can you tell us a bit about that?”
For some reason, despite normally being terribly shy, Todd felt perfectly comfortable responding now, almost like the entire thing had been worked out in his head beforehand. Smiling, he said, “Yeah. I mean, a few weeks ago, I was skeptical, but I just closed my eyes and listened to your voice, and suddenly a half hour later I was waking up. I couldn’t believe when I saw the video, but honestly, being hypnotized is the best thing in the world. It’s so relaxing, I just knew I wanted to do it again.”
“And you don’t mind any of the stuff I make you do while you’re under?” Mark asked.
“Nah, I think it’s hilarious!” Todd laughed, again feeling way more relaxed than he normally would have. But of course, what was there to be ashamed of? Mark had just made him forget his name, the number seven, switch up the colors red and blue—pretty innocuous stuff. Todd didn’t mind something as simple as that. And while it might be embarrassing forgetting his own name, it honestly was an impressive testament to the power of the human mind. Besides, being hypnotized was relaxing. Todd certainly wasn’t lying about that. Honestly, he wanted to be hypnotized by Mark as often as possible—and he didn’t really care what he did while he was under.
“Todd’s actually got a pretty good sense of humor about himself, don’t you?” Mark asked.
“Yeah, you gotta be able to laugh at yourself. I’m down for anything. Do your worst!” Todd smiled. Weirdly, the sentence seemed to slip out almost without him even thinking about it. But it was true! Todd knew that whatever Mark was ready to throw at him, he was man enough to handle—even if it meant forgetting his last name and mixing up purple and green!
“All right, guys, so without further ado, let’s get to Todd’s reaction, and we’ll see you on the other side.” Mark flashed a peace sign, and Tyler shut off the camera.
“All right, that was great,” Mark said, turning back to Todd. “Now SLEEP.”
Todd lay slumped forward on his living room couch, head between his knees, plumbing the absolute depths of his subconscious. Right now, there was no sight, there was no thought. There were only Mark’s words, and Mark’s voice. Todd was lost in an absolute miasma of Mark’s desire—nothing more than a waiting effectuator of his will.
Had he been more attuned to his surroundings, he might have heard Tyler rummaging in his fridge, muttering, “This faggot only bought a six-pack?” as he grabbed a half-brick of cheese as a consolation prize. But for the moment, there was nothing but Mark, and the incessant mantra he had running through Todd’s head:
“I am about to watch the funniest video I have ever seen. I do not recognize the man in the video. Everything that happens to him is funny. I can’t stop laughing at the stupid man.”
Todd repeated this mantra over and over, until the words had seared themselves on his brain. At a certain point, his mind lost all conscious sense of what he was saying, though it continued to conjure anticipatory images: sitting with his Good Friend Mark, watching the funny video, absolutely laughing his ass off. Despite the fact that in a physical sense he felt no emotion—indeed, was more relaxed than he had ever been—Todd’s mind nevertheless anticipated and looked forward to this moment, to watching the funny movie with his Good Friend Mark, starring the mystery person that he was certain not to recognize. On and on Todd kept repeating, over and over, concentrated so deeply he didn’t even notice as Tyler unbuckled his pants and started tee-bagging him, finishing off by turning around and blowing a hot little fart in his face. Todd didn’t even notice the smell. Why would he? He was about to watch the funniest video he had ever seen. He would not recognize the man in the video. Everything that happened to him would be funny. He wouldn’t be able to stop laughing at the stupid man…
“AH-HAHAHA!!” Todd roared, still unable to believe what he was watching. On the laptop before him, Mark’s victim was doubled over at the counter of the Burger King barely a mile from his house, moaning and screaming like a whore as the poor shocked cashier tried to figure out what was wrong with him. Todd wasn’t prone to loud fits of laughter, but Mark was right: this seriously was the funniest, most incredible shit Todd had ever seen. Mark had really been thinking about what he could do with hypnosis. It almost made Todd worried about going under again. Thankfully, he knew he could trust his Good Friend Mark not to do anything like this to him.
“That’s hysterical!” Todd gasped, his cheeks red with laughter. “I can’t believe you did that to me!” (Unbeknownst to Todd, this was actually the group’s second time shooting his reaction. They had stopped after a few minutes on the first attempt, when Mark realized it would be helpful to instruct Todd’s subconscious to say “I” rather than “he” and “me” rather than “him.” Of course, Todd was none the wiser…)
“Pretty good, right?” asked Mark.
“I look like such an idiot!” laughed Todd. “God! Did you show me this too? I must be so embarrassed!” Well, it wasn’t a foolproof plan. Mark made a note to edit that last part out.
On the screen, the video switched to shot of Todd, asleep in the back seat of the car. This had actually been restaged, right after Mark made Tyler stop the vehicle, and Mark was nowhere to be seen. As the image of the sleeping, nearly-naked Todd drifted out of focus, text filtered in: “We decided to take Todd home for the evening before he got in trouble, but couldn’t resist having a bit more fun…” As he read the screen, to Todd’s addled mind, the name didn’t even register: he just assumed it must be some other Todd, or perhaps just overlooked the name entirely. Whatever the case, he knew the person in the video wasn’t him, so his brain did whatever was necessary to reconcile any conflicting data.
“Oh my god, what are you gonna do to me next?” Todd tittered with anticipation, watching closely and wiping a tear from his eye.
On the screen, the image cut to a shot of Mark under the bridge, walking up to a ratty, middle-aged homeless man camped against the wall. “Hey man, you wanna make a hundred bucks?” Mark asked.
“Oh, no…” Todd grinned with delighted, unable to believe what he was seeing.
The next cut was to a medium shot, of the still unclothed Todd swaying gently, eyes closed, on the dirty sidewalk under the bridge. Mark stood next to him, speaking gently in his ear as the camera moved in close:
“…you awaken, the person I point out to you, that’s gonna be the person of your dreams. Nod your head if you understand…” Todd nodded.
“At the count of three, eyes open. One… two… three,” Mark snapped. Todd blinked back to consciousness as Mark pointed stoically toward the vagrant. As the camera swiveled back to Todd, the boy’s eyes went wide, and he dashed over to the man, diving beside him and planting a big wet kiss with tongue right on the guy’s lips. The camera jiggled with Tyler’s guffaws as Todd’s pale, slender frame—still clad in nothing but his tight briefs—curled up against the old man like a model in a swimsuit ad. He continued kissing him feverishly, running his hands lovingly through the guy’s stringy, greasy hair, as the camera moved in for an extreme close-up of Todd’s tongue lapping lovingly at the guy’s dirty lips.
“OH! Nasty! I can’t believe you made me do that!” Todd chortled, almost crying with laughter. Damn. Mark really could do anything with hypnosis. “Oh, god, that is so gross!” he kept laughing, slapping himself on the knee. “Jeez, man, you really are the Master Hypnotist.” Todd gave Mark a high five, which Mark returned happily. All this was exactly what he needed to prove Todd’s consent.
Back in the video, Todd was still curled up next to the homeless guy, cuddling him like a teddy bear. “Who you with, Todd?” asked Mark’s voice on the video.
“My special someone,” Todd beamed, squeezing the guy extra tight and giving him a wet kiss on his ratty, dirty beard.
“Do I get my money now?” the guy asked wearily as Mark’s fingers slipped in from the edge of the frame. “Sleep,” he said, snapping firmly, and Todd collapsed against the stranger as the screen cut to black and the video ended.
“Then at the end here is where we’re gonna put your reaction,” said Mark, turning to Todd.
“Sure thing, but wouldn’t it be better to get the guy that was actually in the video?” Todd asked.
“Sleep,” snapped Mark.
“Wow. Well, I gotta say, I can’t believe what I’ve just seen, but you guys gotta believe me when I tell you that stuff was for real. I honestly don’t remember doing any of that, but, my hat’s off to you, man. You can really get inside people’s heads,” Todd beamed, turning and shaking Mark’s hand as he sat beside him. Todd felt like he was playing things up a bit, since all this was was a dumb video of him forgetting how to count to ten, but if it helped his Good Friend Mark, he was happy to do it.
“Thanks Todd. So, just to be clear, you don’t mind any of that stuff I made you do?” Mark asked.
“No way! It was hysterical. Besides, I told you to do your worst. I’m ready to do it again anytime!” Todd enthused. He wasn’t used to being this excitable, but for some reason, the words just seemed to flow out naturally.
“That an invitation?” smiled Mark.
“You know it! Do your worst!” Todd grinned. Who knew what that entailed, but for some reason, Todd knew he was ready. And with his Good Friend Mark in charge, it couldn’t be too bad.
“All right, that’s all the time we got for today. Todd, you wanna do the outro?”
Todd blushed, feeling more like his old self all of a sudden. He shook his head. “I wouldn’t know what to say.”
“Oh, just the Wrap Up,” said Mark casually, almost as an afterthought.
Suddenly, it felt like Todd was on autopilot, mind totally blank: “This has been markmywordz2009. Be sure to like, follow, smash that subscribe button aaand… sleep,” Todd snapped, and instantly his body melted, becoming as loose and limp as a rubber band as he collapsed into his lap.