Millicent lay on the hard bench in the holding cell, incredibly exhausted but far too stressed and uncomfortable to fall asleep. She was too tired to cry at this point. This week had been so horrible for her. As she stared into space, the door opened, and the chief inspector walked in. She tensed up and started breathing faster, just his presence making her feel terrified after all the interrogations she’d gone through in the past day. He was leading two new people in, more interrogators probably. One was a slender woman with long blonde hair, wearing a simple purple dress. And the other… A hulking, scarred, muscular man, who wore no shirt and towered over everyone else in the room. Millicent involuntarily whimpered in fear, and he glanced down at her. She quickly averted her gaze as the chief inspector spoke up. “Alright, this is her. Millicent Brooks, Lord Monthall's servant. Keep your interrogation short, alright? We’re moving her out tomorrow, and I don’t want you delaying anything.” Millicent's blood ran cold at the news of her impending move to prison. The lady nodded and waved the chief inspector away. “We work best alone, inspector. Don’t worry, we’ll be quick. Just trust Detective Greene's referral, alright?” The chief inspector grumbled, but he left, shutting the door behind him. 

The lady sat across from Millicent at the table. She extended a gloved hand and smiled kindly, speaking in a soft, gentle voice. “Hello Millicent. My name is Hannah, and he,” She gestured towards the man, who was standing against the wall, looking at them, “is Argyris. We’re just here to ask you some questions about what you know about the case.” Millicent slowly sat up, avoiding eye contact. “…I already told the police everything I know… Just ask them… I’ve told people so many times today already…!” She began tearing up, and Hannah gently patted her cheek. “I know, I know… But we’ve just gotten here, and we… would rather hear it from you. Just one last time, okay?” Millicent took a deep, shaky breath, and nodded slightly. “Okay… I'll tell you what I can remember…”

“I... I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping because of the rats in the walls this last week, and I can’t remember much of what happened yesterday. It was so hard to focus on anything… I can remember a few things, like cleaning the mantelplace or preparing him dinner… But everything else is just a blank…! And they keep asking me where I was at the exact time he was murdered, and I can’t remember anything! I try and try because I need to say something but it’s all just a blank and they all think I killed him! And I can't remember doing anything else and so I don’t even know if I didn’t kill him without realizing it! I-I don’t want to have killed him but I think I might have killed him and I don’t want to...!” She had begun panicking, and Hannah gently grasped her hands. “Shhh… Relax… Deep breath… Are you absolutely sure you remember nothing at all from that time?“ Millicent tearfully yelled, “YES! I CAN’T REMEMBER ANYTHING AT ALL I PROMISE! IT’S JUST A BLANK!” Hannah gently caressed her cheek. “Shh… Calm down… Look into my eyes… Everything will be fine…” Millicent was breathing heavily, but she looked into Hannah’s eyes. They were a strange, deep purple, and seemed far… older than the rest of her. They were oddly calming to look at, and Millicent's breathing slowed. A large, firm hand was placed on her shoulder, and she heard a deep, soothing voice above her. “You’re safe with us, Millicent. Just relax and listen, we’re here to help.” Millicent leaned into Argyris's hand, feeling a bit more comfortable now. Hannah spoke again, her voice still soft and gentle. “Now, Millicent… Do you remember having any… encounters in the last few days with strange women? Or other people?” Millicent tried to wrack her brain for anything like that. “I… I don’t think so…” Hannah nodded, and leaned back, pondering something. Millicent looked at her, worried about what she would say. Eventually, Hannah leaned back in, staring into Millicent's eyes. “I think I may be able to help you… Remember what you’ve forgotten about that day.”

Millicent quietly asked, “What… What do you mean by that? Will it… Hurt?” Hannah laughed and shook her head. “No, no, quite the opposite. It will be a very pleasant experience, I promise that. And it could help remove you as a suspect and help us find the real culprit.” Millicent thought for a bit. Something about the situation made her uneasy, but… She really didn’t want to go to prison… And Hannah seemed so trustworthy… She softly nodded. “What do I need to do…?” Hannah smiled. “All you need to do is get comfortable and listen to me. Just lie down on… Hmm. That bench doesn’t really seem that comfortable to lie on.” Millicent shook her head. “It’s very uncomfortable.” Hannah looked around the room, thinking. “Hmmm… Floor looks even worse… This chair is bad… The desk would be better, but not great… What else… Oh. Maybe…” She grinned sheepishly at Argyris, who raised an eyebrow. “Um, would you mind… Sitting down so Millicent can, uh… Sit on your lap?” Argyris chuckled. “That would work, yes. Assuming she’s comfortable with it.” He sat down on the bench, and Millicent nervously looked at him. He was so intimidating… But also kind of attractive… And his massive chest did look so much more comfortable than the bench… She nervously stood up and sat down on his lap. Immediately, she felt so much better. He was soft, and warm, and his rhythmic breathing and rising chest relaxed her. He put his arm around her as she rested on his shoulder. Hannah smiled. “Do you feel comfortable now, Millicent?” Millicent nodded happily, and Hannah chuckled. “Perfect. Now, listen to my voice… And close your eyes…”

Millicent closed her eyes, and felt herself starting to drift off to sleep already. But Hannah's voice kept her just on the brink. “I want you to picture yourself on a small boat, on a calm, placid ocean. There’s nothing to stress you out, nothing to hurt you, just the calm ocean air and the gentle rocking of your boat. Relax into the boat…” Millicent could feel herself being rocked gently, back and forth… “That’s it… Now, picture my voice as a massive whirlpool… Swirling calmly and steadily, pulling everything into its depths. Gaze into the whirlpool… Watching it spin, faster and faster… Feel your boat begin to swirl along its currents… Spiralling deeper and deeper towards the center… But don’t worry, the whirlpool won’t hurt you… In its center lies only bliss and relaxation… So let your boat flow into the center… Let the whirlpool guide you, carrying you deeper and deeper into the ocean… As I count down from 10, you will be pulled closer and closer to the center, closer and closer to sleep… 10… Letting your body relax as the currents carry you… 9-“ Millicent softly snored, barely even conscious anymore. Hannah laughed softly. “Alright, 4… Feeling the water covering your body… 3… Letting your thoughts be washed away… 2… Falling under the cool, relaxing water… 1… Reaching the very center of the whirlpool… And 0… Plunge deep into the dark waters of sleep… SNAP.” Everything went dark, and Millicent was fast asleep.

“Can you hear me, Millicent?” Millicent sleepily nodded. “Perfect. Feel the ocean around you… Your mind… All your thoughts, memories, fears… They’re floating around you… Can you grab one for me? What did you have for breakfast 3 weeks ago?” It was so easy to find the memory. “Oatmeal…” Millicent immediately answered in a sleepy, blissful monotone. “Good girl. And, what was the name of the street you grew up on?” Millicent immediately answered again. “Longmeadow…” There was a long silence, broken by Arygris softly saying, “Hannah, the questions.” Hannah spoke again. “Right sorry… Remembered something about… Anyway, Millicent… Now that you’re deep under my hypnotic spell, can you now tell me what you were doing around the time of the murder?” Millicent began reciting her memory. “I was cleaning the foyer, and I stumbled over the rug into the wall. Then I almost fell asleep, and I stood there for a while. Everything was quiet and I just stopped thinking for a while.” Hannah waited for her to finish, then asked, “…That’s it? Nothing else? No commands you carried out? You just stood there in… Not a hypnotic trance, just a… Tired one?” Millicent answered softly, “Yes. Just standing there.” Hannah thought for a bit. “And no encounters with anyone who hypnotized you like I did?” Millicent softly said, “No...” 

After a long pause, Argyris gently asked, “You said that the rats in the walls were keeping you awake this last week. Have they only been a problem recently?” Millicent answered, “Yes, they only started a few days ago. We don’t usually have problems with rats. They’re very loud and they keep me up all night.” Nodding, Argyris asked, “And have they been a problem during the day as well?” Millicent answered, “No, I haven’t seen or heard any rats during the daytime.” Hannah leaned slightly closer. “Millicent… Are you SURE those were rats you were hearing?” Millicent gathered her thoughts for a split second. “No. They didn’t really sound like rats but I didn’t think they could be anything else. They sounded more like footsteps.” There was a short silence. “Oh. That’s interesting… I think we should go investigate the house then…” Argyris agreed. “Indeed. Perhaps we can find evidence to prove Millicent's innocence in the walls.” Hannah softly said, “Alright, Millicent. We’re going to wake you up now. But first, find the memory of us hypnotizing you. Can you see it?” Millicent confirmed she could. “Just let loose that memory from your mind, like it was never there… You don’t remember us hypnotizing you, but you do remember how much my calm questions helped you remember everything, and how relaxed you felt with us. You’ll remember everything we help you find out under hypnosis, but not ever being put under a trance. Do you understand?” Millicent felt the water around her swirling as Hannah's voice helped clarify exactly what she remembered. “Yes…” Hannah patted her cheek again. “Good girl. Now, it’s time to bring you out of the trance.”

“Picture the whirlpool opening up above you, pulling you back to the surface. Surrender yourself to the blissful swirling again. Let your body become limp and weightless as it pulls you higher and higher. Let it gently bring your mind out of the comfortable, dark waters of sleep, to the bright waking world. The brighter the water gets, the happier you are. Feel yourself becoming more and more aware as the whirlpool brings you closer and closer to wakefulness. When I snap my fingers, the whirlpool will bring you to the surface, and you will awaken, happy, refreshed, and comforted.” Argyris gently laid Millicent on the bench as Hannah finished her hypnosis. “Waking up in 3… 2… 1… SNAP.”

Millicent blinked, pushing herself up. “I think I fell asleep… Sorry… I’m so tired…” Hannah smiled. “Don’t worry, I understand. You’ve had a long day. Hopefully we’ll be able to prove your innocence soon. Just hang in there.” She gently patted Millicent's cheek again. “We should probably report the new information you remembered to the chief inspector. Come on Argyris!” As they left, Millicent stood up, nervously walking over to Argyris. “Thanks for helping me… It really means a lot… And… Before you leave… Can… Uh…” Argyris laughed softly. “Of course.” He leaned down and gave her a large, gentle hug. Her eyes fluttered, and she felt herself almost falling asleep in his big, soft arms. After the hug, Hannah looked into Millicent's eyes. “Why don’t you try napping on the bench? I’m sure it’s not really as uncomfortable as you think it is.” Millicent gazed deep into her eyes, feeling her mind go fuzzy. “Nap… Good idea…” She obediently walked over to the bench and lay down. Something about it seemed so much better now, and she felt herself drifting off to sleep, falling deep into the comfortable dark water…