She sits down across from me - her knees merely inches away from mine. Peeking at her over my newspaper I see that she’s beautiful in that farm-girl sort of way, mousy brown hair, round face, simple clothes. I see a tiny flash of innocence in her watery blue eyes and the way she clutches her bag to her chest.

Something stirs inside me. My right hand reaches into my coat pocket, and fiddles with the small case in there.

I put an amused grin on my face as my newspaper falls, and my hand seems to get stuck in my pocket. I pull a tissue out and wipe my face before folding my newspaper and tucking it under my left arm.

She smiles bemusedly back at me. I try to look away, but something else holds my head there, staring at her beautiful eyes.

I glance out of the window at the scenery going by, A small chocolate shop goes by and I make a mental note to return there at some point.

Something in my mind watches her intently, sees her focus on the scenery outside the bus tighten for a moment. My right hand drops back into the pocket and takes something out of the case.

She gathers her things together, putting them into her oversized bag, pulls the cord overhead to stop the bus, then uses the strap above to pull herself up.

My legs lift me out of my seat, whilst my left hand steadies me on the opposite seat. My right hand pulls itself out of the pocket palming a small syringe.

I smile at her as I clumsily get out of my seat. “It’s a beautiful day isn’t it?” “Yeah, it is. But I think it’ll rain later this afternoon.”

She walks towards the exit of the bus, my body carefully brushes against her, cover for my right hand injecting her with the syringe.

The bus stops, jerking slightly and jostling me against her. She steps down the steps to the footpath below, then walks towards the corner, seeming to slow slightly as she walks around it.

We follow her - something seemingly takes over my body, compelling me to follow her. - We can smell her now, all we have to do is talk to her, just talk to her a little. - a voice speaks in my head, telling me what’s to happen. As if I didn’t know already.

This voice is why I read a newspaper on the bus on the way home. Why I’m always trying to leave that small case at home. Why there’s a room in my house I just can’t seem to get into, and why night after night I have nightmares about little girls like her.

The voice in my head is my ex-girlfriend’s. She caught me in bed with a pretty young thing. A chemistry student, she used the same drug I injected this girl with to hypnotise me, implanting these compulsions, the knowledge of this drug, my stalking instincts, everything. She imprisoned me in my own flat for two weeks whilst she built this demon inside me.

Most of the time it lays dormant inside me. Only leaping out to concoct more of the drug, or to take another pretty young thing. It also ensures that the case is in my pocket whenever I go out. If I’m honest, it doesn’t need to use the drug - it’s just insurance - I could hypnotise these women without much trouble, but if it tried to use that skill I’d defeat it easily. The drug quietens most of their resistance and turns up their suggestiveness: one could make them do anything with just a word.

I don’t like having to do this, and I think that was the point. She’s punishing me now, making me pay for hurting her that way - I like to think she’s happy, that what I’m doing is making her happy - that’s the only bright side of this pain.

I see the woman from the bus just down the street. She’s stopped in the middle of a step, gazing forward with a blank, glazed expression on her face.

“You’re having a dream, child.”

“Just a funny dream. Now walk over here with me … yes, that’s right, you’re such a good girl, such a good girl … having such a funny dream with me.”

“Yes, that’s it … come walk behind this shed with me. … You’re so sleepy now, … so sleepy that you just have to lay down, just lay down on this soft ground here.”

“You feel all floaty and distant don’t you, just like you’re floating on a big fluffy cloud. Just floating on a big warm fluffy cloud with me.”

“Yes, that’s right, taking your dress off will make you comfortable, maybe you will be even more comfortable if you take the rest of your clothes off too.”

“That’s right, wearing clothes makes you less comfortable. … Just lay here on this cloud with me. … It’s really comfortable, isn’t it? … really comfortable and relaxing.”

“Have you ever touched yourself here before?” ……. y…. esss…. …….. “Do you remember what it felt like?” …… mmmm…. “Can you feel that happening right now, feel your fingers touching yourself there?” ….. mmm-ahh….

“That’s right, it feels even better when you spread your legs like that, it feels so much better when you do that.” …….. ahhhhh

“You can feel two fingers inside you now can’t you?” ……. “It feels really good doesn’t it?” …… “Feeling them go in and out makes you feel so good doesn’t it?” ……. ahhhhhhh

I’m laying on top of her, and I can feel myself throbbing deep inside her as her body moves and twitches underneath me. She stares blankly over my shoulder at the sky above, her thoughts lying on one of the clouds floating past up there.

“Can you feel your fingers twitch inside you? … doesn’t that make you feel so good? …. make you feel so incredible? ……. can you feel yourself getting close?”

“You feel so good now don’t you? … feel so good. You’re such a good girl, such a good girl. …. What do good girls do now? ….. That’s right, they come, come so hard around their fingers.”

“Come for me now, yes, that’s right, come right now, come around your fingers, come like you’ve always wanted to.”

She bucks and screams under me, eyes rolling back in her head. I roll myself off her and pull my pants back on.

“All good girls feel all floaty and distant after touching themselves, don’t they?”

“This cloud we’re lying on seems to be floating back down to the ground doesn’t it? ….. Yes, it is … floating back down to the ground.”

I know I’ve only got about 5 minutes or so before the drug wears off. All I’ve got to do is get her back to where she was standing when I found her.

“It’s all cold here, isn’t it. Maybe you should put some clothes on … yes, those clothes …. that’s right. Now hasn’t all this been just a silly dream?” ….. mmmm ….. “Yes, just a silly dream, you should forget all about it, shouldn’t you?” ….. mm …..

“Now, just stand back up, and walk with me ….. yes, good girl, just walk over this way … yes, just like that.”

We walk slowly back to where I found her.

“Now what happens if you stand back where you were when I first spoke to you? … yes, right there. … You don’t remember anything since you were standing here last do you?” …… n…. o….. “Good girl. Now just stand there for a little while, good girl.”

I quickly walk back around the corner, and cross the street to the bus stop. Just before the bus arrives, I see the smallest glimpse of my ex-girlfriend, walking around the corner on the other side of the street. I push it from my mind. Somewhere inside me, some thing’s satisfied, I feel pretty good myself.

I sit down on a seat facing towards the back of the bus. My right hand quickly reaches up and straightens my hair. I take my newspaper out and start reading.