CANDY

Anna looked around Dr. Cooper’s home office.

It was exactly what someone might imagine a therapist’s office to look like. A big bookshelf with lots of psychology books, a wall covered in framed diplomas. It all looked legitimate.

So how come I still don’t trust him?

She’d been asking herself that question ever since he moved into the house across the street last month. There was something off about him. He played the friendly neighbor a little too well, like he’d been practicing it.

Part of her still wanted to leave. She wasn’t the kind of woman who needed therapy (especially from someone like Dr. Cooper).

But here she was.

’Cos last night, on her porch, talking to him about her problems, she’d felt something she hadn’t felt in a long long time.

Completely relaxed.

The noise in her head turned quiet, and after that she slept like a baby. She couldn’t remember the last time that happened.

That was worth looking into a little further, even if she still didn’t trust him. She was just here to observe.

Dr. Cooper appeared beside her with a ceramic mug, steam spiraling. She recognized the smell. It was the same tea from last night.

“Thought this might help with the nerves.”

“I’m not nervous,” she lied, and took it anyway. The warm cup felt good in her hands.

Dr. Cooper sat down into the leather chair across from her. Something about it made him seem slightly more… authoritative.

“So, will this be your first time observing hypnosis?”

“Well, I mean… there was this one time at the county fair when I was younger.”

He laughed. “That’s stage hypnosis. Real hypnotherapy is more like focused relaxation. Like meditation. No cheap tricks and I’m afraid it’s not nearly as entertaining. What I do is help quiet the conscious mind so we can go deeper, reach the part underneath and help fix what’s wrong.”

The way he spoke reminded her of a college professor. Extremely knowledgable about a subject while also able to explain it simply, without making you feel dumb for asking.

He made the whole thing sound so… safe.

The doorbell rang and he stood up. “That must be her.”

Anna nervously waited alone in the room. She could just barely hear the front door open, then two voices walking down the hall.

The woman who walked through the door was nothing like Anna expected.

Anna tried not to stare but it was hard. She looked absolutely… ridiculous. She had long blonde hair, heavy makeup, big gold hoops, pink strappy heels, a hot pink crop top, and a tiny white microskirt so short Anna could see the bottom half of her ass.

But what really bothered Anna was her body.

The woman had the exact same physique as Anna. Not just similar… the exact same. Same big breasts, wide hips, thick thighs, and even the same big butt that made Anna self-conscious every time someone stood behind her. It was everything she’d spent her whole life trying to hide.

Except this woman wasn’t hiding any of it. She was proudly showing it off. There was something unsettling about seeing her own body on someone showing it off like that. Like looking into some kind of bimbo funhouse mirror.

“This is Candy,” Dr. Cooper said. “She’s who you’ll be observing.”

“You must be Annie~!” Candy ran over and pulled her into a hug, pressing Anna’s face straight into her heavily perfumed cleavage. The scent was overwhelming.

Anna slipped free as fast as she could, annoyed. “It’s Anna, actually.”

Candy stared at Anna’s body with a big excited smile like she’d just won the lottery. “Ohmygosh! This is sooo cool! We literally have the same body! We’re totally body twins! I’ve always wanted someone I could share outfits with, but it’s so hard to find women like us.”

“I would but pink isn’t really my color,” Anna said, barely disguising her mocking tone.

Candy laughed. “That’s crazy. Pink is totally your color. I got some extra outfits in my car. Lemme go grab some and–”

“No thanks.”

“Oh.” She seemed disappointed. “I get it. I was embarrassed of my body too before I met Dr. Cooper.”

“…I’m not embarrassed,” Anna said defensively.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Candy gave her arm a friendly squeeze. “I just meant like that… well, like… Dr. Cooper’s just, like, the best at helping you discover the parts of yourself you didn’t even know were there. He definitely–”

“Why don’t we get started now?” Dr. Cooper interrupted, changing the subject.

“Good idea!” Candy strutted over to the big leather recliner in the middle of the room, kicked off her tall pink heels, and jumped into the chair. Her skirt rode up another couple inches but she didn’t seem to notice or mind.

Dr. Cooper turned the lights down. The room was now dark. “Let’s begin.”

INDUCTION

There was something different about Dr. Cooper’s voice. Anna noticed it right away. Something about the way he was talking now seemed… different.

“Let’s start with some deep breaths. In through your nose, nice and slow… hold… and out through your mouth.”

Candy’s eyes drifted shut on their own, like she’d done this so many times her body just knew.

“Good. Just like that.”

Anna watched Candy’s chest rise and fall with each breath. Rising and falling.

I’m just observing.

“With each breath you relax a little more. All those worries fading away.”

Anna found herself listening a little more closely.

“Notice how your body feels in the chair. The weight of your arms, your legs, the way the chair holds you up so you don’t need to hold yourself.”

His voice was so… soothing. He clearly knew exactly what he was doing.

“Your eyes are heavy now. So heavy. Even if you wanted to open them, you couldn’t. So just let them rest. They’ve been working so hard. You’ve been working so hard.”

That’s true, Anna thought, looking at Candy. She’s so tired.

Candy’s breathing had slowed even further. Anna didn’t notice that hers had matched it.

“With each breath you go deeper. Not because I’m telling you to. Because your body wants to. Because this is what it’s been waiting for all day. The chance to stop. To rest. All that weight you carry, all the responsibilities, everyone leaning on you, it just slides right off. Like taking off a heavy coat at the end of a long day.”

Anna pictured herself shrugging off a big heavy coat, and sank deeper into the chair. This chair was so comfortable. Made it so easy to just… relax.

Maybe I should get a chair like this for my office.

Dr. Cooper continued talking but his voice didn’t seem to be just in the room anymore. It almost sounded like it was coming from somewhere inside her head.

Anna looked over at Candy whose legs were open, skirt riding up, and she had no idea.

Anna’s legs were also open. She had no idea either.

Just like she didn’t notice she’d slipped out of her own shoes, the same way Candy had.

Rising and falling.

I’m just observing.

“Now I want you to imagine a staircase. Ten steps, leading down to the most peaceful place you’ve ever been. Each step taking you deeper.”

She could imagine it easily. A tall staircase with big stone steps, leading down to a warm happy place.

“Both of you, going deeper now. Good.”

…Both?

Her eyes snapped open. They were so heavy. Why were they so heavy?

Did he say both?

Her eyes closed again as Dr. Cooper continued counting down.

I need to—

“Nine…”

Stop. Wake up. He’s—

“Eight. Any thought of resisting just… disappearing.”

Anna tried to lift her hand but all she could do was twitch her fingers.

“Seven. Your body getting heavier and your mind getting lighter.”

I didn’t agree to this.

“Five. Letting your worries fade away.”

Turn off your mind… The words echoed in her head. After a lifetime of constantly worrying, planning, and overthinking, here was someone telling her she could just turn off her mind and… relax.

Maybe it would feel nice to turn it off… just for a little while.

Either the room was darker or her eyes had closed again. She wasn’t sure which.

Just a minute. I’ll just rest for a minute.

“Four. So relaxed and safe.”

Safe. When was the last time she’d felt so safe?

“Three. Almost completely hypnotized.”

Hypnotized? Yes. For some reason, that made so much sense.

“Two. Turning off your mind.”

Dr. Cooper’s deep hypnotic voice was now completely mixed into her own thoughts now. She couldn’t tell where his voice ended and hers began.

“One. Sleep.”

Everything went dark.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, Anna Miller’s mind was completely quiet.

TRANCE

Anna was floating.

“Very good. Both of you, deeply relaxed now.”

His voice washed over her mind in a way that Anna heard it without thinking about it. The words just arrived and sank in.

“Candy, perfect as always. Stay right where you are while I talk to Anna for a moment.”

Somewhere in the room Candy let out a happy sigh.

Anna was floating. She couldn’t move. Her body felt impossibly heavy.

“Anna.” Her name in his voice sounded different. “Can you hear me?”

She tried to answer but all that came out was another happy sigh, just like Candy.

“Good. Very good.”

Warmth rushed through her chest and spread outward.

“You’re in a trance now, Anna. You are hypnotized. And that’s a good thing.”

“No…”

“Yes. Say it for me. Tell me what you are.”

She tried to fight it but he words spilled out anyway. “I am… hypnotized.”

“Again.”

“I am hypnotized.”

“Good. Now, what I say next is important. It isn’t for your conscious mind. Your conscious mind is resting. This is for the deeper part of you. The part that’s exhausted. I’m going to help you. Just not the way you expected.”

Yes. The thought came from somewhere deep in her mind. Exhausted.

“I want you to understand what’s going to happen to you. You won’t remember it when you wake. But it helps the deeper part of you accept the changes.”

She tried again to break through the heavy warmth but she still couldn’t move.

“You’re drowning, Anna. You’ve been drowning so long you’ve forgotten what normal even feels like. Your body’s been trying to talk to you for years, and you’ve been ignoring it. Hiding it, and punishing it by stuffing it into tight, uncomfortable clothes. Tonight, for the first time, your body finally gets to speak.”

And suddenly Anna felt her body.

Dr. Cooper smiled. “You’re going to be a very good subject. Not many people can go as deep as you. That’s a powerful gift.”

Good subject.

“I saw the way you looked at Candy when she walked. Judging her the same way people are always judging you. You thought she looked trashy and ridiculous, but a year ago, Candy looked a lot like you do now. Stressed and exhausted in a job that didn’t respect you, just like you. Desperate to be respected, while she knew deep down they’d never see past her body. Just like you. She fought it at first, just like I’m sure you will. But once she finally learned to embrace her transformation, she’s been happier than ever.”

Dr. Cooper smiled.

“And you will too.”

Anna was starting to panic. No. That’s not me.

“It won’t happen all at once. It’ll take time. You’ll start wearing tighter more revealing outfits. Just a little bit at a time. And it’ll feel so good you’ll wonder, why not go a little further? Your brain will reward you for showing off your body. Until those big tits you’re so ashamed of? You’ll be proudly showing them off, just like Candy. Tight shorts that show off that huge ass. And you’re going to love all the attention you’ll get from it. It’ll start to turn you on. You’ll want men to stare. The remarks you used to find disgusting will start to feel like compliments. It’ll make you feel valuable. It’ll make you wet.”

Anna gathered all her strength and managed to barely shake her head..

“You’re fighting. Good. That’ll make it more satisfying, for both of us. Let me show you the finished version of what you’ll be. Open your eyes.”

Her eyes opened on their own. In front of her was a tall mirror with a wooden frame, and it in she saw herself, sitting in the chair with glassy eyes and an open mouth. She looked drunk.

Dr. Cooper stood behind the glass with a look on his face she hadn’t seen before.

“This is you right now. Uptight and miserable. Trying so hard to hide your body and it doesn’t even work, does it? They still stare. You can’t hide a body like yours, Anna.”

Anna watched, horrified, unable to look away as the reflection began to change.

Her hair grew longer and lighter, from a deep dark brown to a light honey brown. Makeup appeared on her face like she was watching a timelapse.

Then her clothes began to change. The business suit faded and in its place came a tight pink top. Her skin turned slightly tan and five-inch wedges appeared on her feet.

The woman in the mirror looked like a porn star.

Everything Anna had spent her life trying not to be.

She looked proud. She looked confident.

She looked exactly like Candy.

Anna was horrified.

No. That’s not me.

“You’re a slut, Anna. You always were. You just didn’t know it yet. That’s why the shame was always so extreme. This is your real self. The one you’ve been hiding.”

“That’s not true,” she barely managed to whisper.

He grinned. “I know. But it’s what you’ll believe when we’re done. It’ll feel like a breakthrough.”

In the mirror she was squeezing her breasts now, moaning, completely lost in it.

“This is who you’re becoming.”

Anna gasped as her own body flooded with arousal. She wanted to look away but she couldn’t.

“This is what your body was made for.”

No. Never. I’d rather die.

“Your body knows it. Soon your conscious mind will too. Six months from now you’ll be standing in this office, just like Candy. In a dress just like hers. Desperate to please me. Thanking me for changing your life.”

And when you wake up you won’t remember any of this. You’ll think this was just a normal pleasant therapy session. Not realizing it was actually the beginning of your new life.”

Anna’s mind was desperately fighting against it, trying as hard as she could to force herself to remember this when she woke up, but she could feel herself already starting to forget.

“When I count to three, you’ll forget everything, but it’ll still all be there deep in your subconscious.”

No. Stop!

“One.”

Her thoughts were already becoming blurry.

“Two.”

What did he say again? Something about… clothes?

“Three.”

Anna opened her eyes and looked around, slightly confused when she suddenly noticed Dr. Cooper.

“What happened?” Anna asked.

Dr. Cooper smiled. “You fell asleep. It’s quite common. Watching hypnosis can be very relaxing in itself.

That made sense. She’d been so tired lately. Her exhausted brain had just grabbed the chance to rest.

“How do you feel?”

She felt… amazing. Better than she had in a long time. “Really good, actually… but also… I’m so embarrassed I fell asleep. You were so nice to invite me and I just—”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s completely normal. So what did you think of what you saw? Before you accidentally fell asleep,” he asked with a teasing grin.

Anna tried to remember. She couldn’t recall any of the particular details but she remembered vividly the way it felt. “It was so relaxing. I can see how it could really help with all the stress and exhaustion.”

“I’m glad. I can already tell you’d respond very well to it yourself.”

“I would?”

The compliment made her feel warm.

“You would. The ability to focus deeply, to absorb, to let go of resistance, those are all signs of a sharp mind. And now that you’ve seen how safe it is for yourself, maybe you’d like to schedule a session of your own. I really think it could help you.”

A session of my own.

The idea made her anxious. But also slightly… excited. “I don’t know. I’d have to think about it.”

He smiled. “Of course. Take all the time you need.”

Anna stood. Her legs were shaky. “Thank you. For letting me observe.”

“Of course. Sleep well.”

Anna walked home in a pleasant fog. The evening air felt soft on her skin. Everything felt good. Her mind was quiet.

She switched off the light and fell asleep right away. No laying in bed tossing and turning while thinking about tomorrow’s problems.

And in her dream she walked down a big stone staircase.