Relaxing Weekend

“Stupid mosquitoes!” Willa grumbled as she swatted another blood-sucking insect from her right arm.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Aiko asked, her delicate oriental features bathed by the pale moonlight and the fire between them.

“Because I didn’t want to come camping! I can’t believe you persuaded me into this. I hate this!”

The two of them sat in the wilderness, three hundred miles away from the bustling metropolis that demanded their sweat and tears every day, and offered little solace. Stress had become so indelibly stamped in Aiko’s daily routine that she had decided the time was right for a peaceful retreat. One would expect the love of her life to agree, and yet she was miserable.

“Well, I love it. It’s so peaceful and serene around here.”

“Tell that to these flying bitches that won’t leave me alone.”

“Calm down, please. It’s not that bad.”

“I disagree. Do we really need to stay here all weekend?”

“I would prefer if we did. Are you in such a hurry to go back to the frenzy?”

“At least, it’s predictable,” Willa sighed. “It’s not a pretty routine, but it has its advantages.”

“I see none at the moment. Perhaps there’s something I can do to soften the blow.”

“Hmmm… What do you have in mind?”

“To put yours to sleep,” Aiko smiled in that enigmatic way only she could do. Willa knew the power it held all too well for it had contributed to the blooming of their misunderstood relationship. Neither of their families approved of the choice, their minds clouded by prejudice and hate, but no storm had ever come between them and, despite some rough moments here and there, the situation was unlikely to change.

“Hypnosis again? Do you still enjoy it that much?”

“Don’t you?”

“Well, it is quite the experience…” Willa agreed, reminiscing about all the times she had been compelled to follow her lead. In fact, she was almost certain that the whole camping idea had been triggered by something similar, but couldn’t pinpoint when or how.

“And good experiences are those you wish to repeat time and time again…”

“But let’s not forget that too much repetition of the same thing can make it stale or sour…”

“That is true when you’re talking about physical things you can touch, but that’s not what hypnosis is, is it? It is a ride of the mind, an intangible feeling that draws you in like the embers of a flame. There’s a reason so many people find it easy to let go of their worries next to a fire, for its warmth and gentle flickers lull them gently, like a mother rocking her baby child into a peaceful slumber.”

“I’m not a baby, Aiko.”

“Of course you are. You’re my baby, my everything, and you’ll always be that. You accept this as I do, and the fire too. Looking through it to find me makes your eyes feel so heavy… so sleepy… completely at ease, relaxed, and content. The flames burn more than the logs that feed them. They also snuff out the things you wish gone more than everything.”

“Which are…?”

“The ability to think anything other than my words, hearing my thoughts in your head, and doing as you’re told to go deeper… deeper… and deeper.”

“You don’t know everything about me,” Willa moaned, legs slightly apart.

“I know enough to make you drop *snap*, again *snap* and again *snap*, deeper *snap* and deeper *snap*, swept by the flame, burning for me.”

Willa’s head slumped forward, though she remained seated on the warm mattress. Aiko was right, and the burning light agreed. The full moon continued to watch over the two lovers in silent adoration until only a faint column of smoke spiraled into the sky. Stress was no more, but the bliss of peaceful trance was forever.

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