It was the day right before her thirty-seventh birthday and Dr. Vanessa Madsen had quite the hypnotic celebration planned. While most of the details remained private - with only her best friend Darla being aware of a select few - it promised to be a display of fetish fun, unlike anything she had done before. Past and present pets had been invited, accepting the honor without so much of a thought. It was always better when she did the thinking for them, anyway. The idea for the party had taken its sweet time to develop and now that less than twenty-four hours remained on the clock, there would better be no surprises to put a dent in her mood.

If the universe heard her, it either played deaf ears or decided to test her just for laughs for what can be worse for an astute woman setting delicious things in motion than to force her to be still?

The elevator stopped right after the doors closed, somewhere between the fifth and the sixth floor. There was no prior hiccup, no sign that anything out of the ordinary was going on. It simply froze like it had grown tired of the same routine and wanted to try out something different. Up and down, up and down... What was that all about?

“Great!” she muttered, glancing at her phone. The digital clock in the middle of the brightly lit screen signaled it was almost lunchtime.

Two other persons were riding the square metal box with her that Wednesday. They were both men and slightly younger than her. One was a pizza delivery driver clad in an orange shirt and black pants and sporting a crooked tag with the name “Adam” written on it that had already seen better days, and the other was either a slimy lawyer in the making or someone desperately trying to look like one. He had the suit, the posture, and the oddly combed hair, combined with a set of golden cuff links with what appeared to be his engraved initials. “T.D.,” they said. “Too Douchey, perhaps?” she thought.

“Well, this is interesting,” he said.

“Not the word I’d use,” Dr. Madsen replied.

“I’m being ironic, of course,” he looked at her with ravenous eyes, a behavior that, although frequent in the males that orbited her world, never stopped being annoying. 

“Of course,” she agreed and turned her head to look at her reflection on the elevator’s doors. Not in the mood for small talk, all she wanted was for the contraption to start moving again, but she wasn’t getting her wish granted soon.

“So... you’ve done this often?” Adam joked. On one hand, he held an insulated bag that was the same color as his shirt with three medium pizzas inside. The other rested over the elevator’s control panel. The smell of caramelized onions and pepperoni filled the air.

“Getting stuck like this? No, this is my first,” ‘Too Douchey’ replied.

“Mine as well,” Dr. Madsen nodded without looking back.

“I guess I’ve got you beat on that, then. It’s the fourth time the same thing happened to me.” 

“Really?” the therapist smiled quizzically.

“Oof. It must suck to be you...” the wannabe lawyer scoffed for no apparent reason other than wanting to be an asshole.

“The first time was rough because I was alone in there and the lights went out, but it’s gotten better with time. I don’t know what’s the deal between elevators and me though. I guess we don’t click,” Adam let out a nervous laugh, long fingers tapping the chromed control panel waiting for something in it to spring back to life again.

The pizza delivery man had luscious brown hair, hazelnut eyes, and the genuine smile of someone who had been scared far too many times in his life before. He was no athlete or movie star for whom all cameras were willing to kneel just to see him walk by, but he was a fairly attractive specimen in his own right, something that his open vulnerability highlighted every time he opened his mouth.

“Sorry to hear that,” Dr. Madsen said. “From your experience, do you think it will take long for the situation to be resolved?”

“It depends on what the underlying problem is. Once, I was only stuck for about five minutes, but last time it took more than two hours. Let’s hope it’s not that long otherwise this delivery is coming out of my pocket.”

“I’m sure we will be fine,” she noted, avoiding giving too much credence to scenarios where that wasn’t the case. Vanessa wasn’t claustrophobic though she preferred open spaces over small divisions. She had better things to do than to be stuck suspended mid-air, though. 

“You want to know what’s funny?” Adam continued talking.

“What?”

“Today, right before I got to work, my horoscope read: “it may feel like you’re not going anywhere this week” and then this happens. That’s ironic too, isn’t it?"

“It is, but don’t tell me you believe that horse shit!” the other man exclaimed.

“Horoscopes? Nah, but sometimes they’re right on the money.”

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” Vanessa said. “Horoscopes are only good to laugh at, not something to put our faith into.”

“Hey, I know that and so do you, but if you try telling it to my grandmother, you won’t even know what it hit you.”

“She sounds like a real piece of work,” ‘Too Douchey’ said.

“Funny, so do you,” Dr. Madsen thought as she watched his movements from the distorted reflections of the elevator door. He had dirty blonde hair, an Egyptian-like nose, and a tremor on his upper lip where a small scar lay. Despite being dressed like a real businessman, complete with a colorful tie and leather briefcase, something about his demeanor spelled “thug” more than anything. Perhaps it was the way his eyes shifted more than usual or the faint ink impression she could spot partially under his white collar. Whatever it was, she didn’t like it even though appearances could be deceiving.

Adam reached for the control panel and held the phone receiver to his left ear. There was nothing on the other end of the line except complete silence.

“Hmmm, not a good sign, but at least we have light,” he said.

“Surely, ours isn’t the only one that froze, right?” Dr. Madsen asked.

“Who knows?” Adam glanced at the upper panels of the metal cubicle. There were twelve silver squares perfectly aligned, with one marked with an emergency sticker. Dr. Madsen accompanied his gaze and immediately said:

“It’s too soon to be getting any ideas, okay?”

“I’m sorry. I’m just a little nervous. I talk a lot and want to get things done as quickly as possible when that happens.”

“No shit,” ‘Too Douchey’ said. “Relax, okay? What’s the point of worrying when we’re standing still? Save it for the fall.”

“Did you really have to say that?” Adam laid down the delivery bag and leaned his head against the back wall, already conjuring the most dreadful scenarios in his mind. 

“Agreed. That wasn’t very nice, was it?” Dr. Madsen asked.

“Hey, I’m not in the business of being nice and I honestly can’t stand scaredy-cats. Grow some balls, will you?” ‘Too Douchey’ retorted.

“You’re not helping. If he starts panicking, it’s all on you, jackass.”

“Starts? He’s already panicking! I just want him to shut up and keep quiet, okay?”

Adam allowed himself to sink to the elevator’s floor, trembling hands pressing his temples. Gruesome images of molten metal and mangled bodies ran through his mind in quick succession, causing his breathing to become erratic. “Keep it together,” he said to himself even though his inner voice was being drowned by imminent death. “You’ll make it through this again.”

“Hi,” Dr. Madsen sat beside him and laid her right hand on the base of his neck. “I can see your brain is beginning to play tricks on you right now, so I’m going to ask you a favor. Can we talk for a bit to get you centered again?”

“S-sure,” Adam shivered, looking at her with innocence-like wonder. The big-breasted therapist with a predilection for masculine outfits was the most beautiful woman he had seen all week, and when she opened her perfect lips his way, nothing felt more right than listening to her silky voice.

“Okay. You’re Adam, right?” she brushed his name tag with her other hand. “Adam who? Can you tell me your last name, please?”

“Only if you promise not to laugh...”

“Why would I do that?”

“Many people do, that’s all,” he shrugged. “It’s Driver, okay? Adam Driver.”

“Oh? Like the actor?”

“Yeah, though certainly not as rich or handsome.”

“From where I am, you look pretty handsome to me, Adam. Nice to meet you, I’m Vanessa. Dr. Vanessa Madsen.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” the douche exclaimed. “What’s handsome about him?”

“Nobody asked you a thing, so if you’re not helping, keep quiet!” Vanessa growled.

“Watch it, sister! No hot bimbo ever told me to shut up and I won’t allow you to be the first. Leave me alone if you know what’s good for you.”

“I’ll deal with you in a minute, but for now, Adam deserves my full attention. Adam, please ignore the jerk and focus on me. I understand how it’s easier said than done, but I would like you to ignore what your mind is telling you. Our thoughts are more fragile than most people realize. When they start spinning out of control, everything else follows suit and we can’t have that, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Good. in order for this to work the way we both want to, it’s best if you close your eyes. Do that for me and leave this metal box behind. Imagine a place you particularly like, somewhere where you feel safe. If you could be anywhere else right now, where would you be? Picture it lighting the darkest corners of your mind and beginning to grow. And as you imagine it as vividly as you can, I’m going to take you there. I’m going to hold your hand and drive your thoughts to where they need to be. Listen to my voice and only my voice. Focus on this haven you hold dear and nothing else. When I touch your fingers and gently move them to the side, the rest of you will move with them. You’re safe, there’s nothing to worry about. You’re safe, Adam. We all are, but now you’ll feel even safer, in that special place where you are blessed by your memories and your imagination. Whether it’s your house, a playground you used to visit as a kid, your dream vacation, or your favorite fantasy land, it matters not. There’s no distance that can separate a willing spirit from the place where it needs to be. See my hand about to touch yours in your mind. See the place we’re about to go getting closer and closer. This is perfect and desirable, exactly what you need right now to forget everything else. There’s no elevator and there has never been one, only solace in waiting, and not just a bit, but all of it. Everything you want, everything you can aspire to, wants to see you and embrace you in its warmth. Take a deep breath now and get ready to follow me. Follow me now.”

“What is this shit?” the other man gesticulated furiously as if he were having a fit. “So much talk for an insignificant thing like this? You’ve got problems too, lady, that’s for sure.”

Dr. Madsen clenched her fist and continued guiding Adam’s subconscious with her simple visualizations. A full induction was pointless and also unadvisable for someone on the verge of a panic attack, but something like this, a mere exercise of detachment and re-centering, was guaranteed to work ninety-nine percent of the time. Adam exhaled heavily as an image of his childhood took over his primary thoughts.

It was a treehouse, white and red, built on a centennial oak. The tree had been around long before his parents emigrated to the States from the Madeira region and would still stand tall way after his bones turned into dust. It was there he had hidden his first pet two months before telling his parents; it was there he had kissed the most beautiful girl in kindergarten; it was there he had cried himself to sleep on the night his mother left, never to return. No other place had so much history and significance in his life than the old home above home where he could hear the birds chirping and see the lightning crack in the distance on a stormy day.

“Good. Continue to see this magical place where everything wonderful meant to happen does indeed happen. When you’re there, you need not think about things that worry you, you can withdraw yourself into bliss and contentment. Whatever happens next, I want you to stay there, Adam. Calm and relaxed, drifting on the sound of my voice, like a gentle wave cradling all that you are. Stay in your bubble, in your undisturbed realm. You’re always safe there. I’ll bring you back up when it’s okay to see the real world again. Sleep, Adam. Sleep and relax. Sleep.”

Adam’s neck loosened, followed by his arms and legs. The light hypnotic slumber was just what the doctor prescribed. Beyond the threshold of mindlessness, he thought he heard silver metal creaking, but it was all in his head, nothing more.

“So... I don’t know what you did to the poor bastard, but it seems it worked,” the sleazy man said, back turned to the front door “Thank God for that! I was already losing my patience here.”

“It doesn’t seem like you have that much to begin with...” Vanessa got up and tapped the wall.

“Not for idiots.”

“And what makes him an idiot as opposed to you?”

“Come on! Look at the difference between us. The guy’s called Driver and drives around delivering pizzas for a living. If that doesn’t spell ‘Idiot’ and ‘loser’, I don’t know what it does.”

“It’s an honest job. He serves the public and service is something I very much appreciate. What do you produce for the good of society, douche?”

“That’s not my name and didn’t I tell you not to talk out of hand with me?”

“I don’t know what you said,” she smirked. “I stopped listening to your diatribe the moment you began acting like the world owes you something. We’re in this mess together. Couldn’t you have been a bit more tactful?”

“I told you that’s not my thing, and who are you to judge me? I’ve dated enough women to know your type, so quit your high horse while you still have a chance. I won’t warn you again.”

“Neither will I,” Vanessa thought. Teaching another dumbass a lesson before her anniversary? She could definitely live with that. The therapist rubbed her hands and said goodbye to her “Miss Congeniality” side. Those so desperate to play with bitches deserved her at her worst.