I awoke to the feeling of rope against my wrists.

In struggling to break free, I almost tipped the chair back and fell over, but I felt a hand gently push it back into place.

The woman who rebalanced me, dressed in a lavish sparkling gown, chuckled darkly and walked forward without acknowledging me further.

I realized I was in the middle of a gigantic cathedral, the sun shining through the stained-glass window ahead of me, sitting above…

An organ.

It was huge. Pipes bloomed from the front of the cathedral, spreading across the walls and towards the ceiling, barely contained by the stone walls, pews, or statues.

“Who are you?” I demanded. “What did you do –”

“Shh,” the woman sounded, just loudly enough to echo across the hall. “You will understand soon.”

She sat at the seat of the organ. I steeled myself for what was to come.

I wasn’t ready.

I had heard organ music in school, on CDs, streamed online. But this was different.

Her feet started on the pedals of the organ, and I felt the entire cathedral carry its melody.

Her fingers teased a solemn melody from the smaller, lighter pipes, but the heavy drones of the lower notes shook my body. My mind. My soul.

A small moan left my lips, but I couldn’t hear it. I couldn’t even feel it, as the woman commanded the entire building to rumble under her dirge.

It was as if the entire architecture, the entire grand design, was designed to force feelings into me.

Submit.

The rumble eased off, as she let a gentler melody play off the smaller, quieter pipes. I caught my breath. But it was only for a few short measures, until the rumble returned.

Feel awe.

I knew what was happening to me, at this moment. What she was trying to do. But the music that she commanded was so powerful.

I could have screamed and not heard or felt it leave my mouth.

Be enthralled.

The rumble quickly ceased, just long enough for me to realize how much I believed these thoughts, before she resumed with a smaller motif.

Listen to my music.

She started with another motif with her other hand.

Feel my music.

The two melodies intertwined beautifully, almost in conversation, in dance with each other. They bombarded me, confounding me with suggestion after suggestion.

Isn’t it wonderful?

Just listen.

You are helpless.

Let my web embrace you.

The deeper notes of her foot pedals once again overwhelmed my senses as the fugue melodies continued to intertwine; a third, louder voice bellowing in harmony with the others.

YOU WILL NOT THINK.

You love listening to me.

You will submit to me.

YOU ARE MINE.

It’s too late.

You’ve already succumbed.

Her motifs echoed as my body continued to quake as earlier motifs repeated themselves, emphasized by the other notes in harmony.

SUBMIT.

The layers upon layers of music bound me, wrapping me in hypnotic bliss.

The notes came to a final crescendo, finally resolving into a powerful chord.

The music echoed across the hall as it stopped.

My body shivered slightly. I could still feel the organ’s spell wrapped around my mind.

The woman stood up. I heard her footsteps echo endlessly throughout the cathedral.

She approached me and held me up by the chin as she slowly undid a knot behind me.

“Stand,” she commanded, once I was untied.

I obeyed.

“Follow me,” she said, gently.

“Yes, mistress,” I said, my voice shaky, following her out of the hall.