"This chair is actually pretty comfortable."

"Really, Shannon? That's what you're focused on?"

"What? You said I should be more observant and pay attention to details. So I'm observing that detail."

"I meant you should try to find any detail that might get us out of here. The comfort of a chair that you don't want to be in isn't relevant, is it?"

"Fine, fine. Sue a girl for making conversation."

Vivi shook her head and sighed. She and her girlfriend, Shannon, occupied odd-looking chairs in a dimly lit room. Neither of them wanted to be where they were, nor did they want the taut straps over their wrists and ankles that bound them securely to their seats. They had woken up in this situation moments ago, with no memory of how or why they were there.

Their chairs faced each other about half a meter apart. The young women sat in a semi-reclined position, with their legs raised up. Neither wore anything on her feet. So there they sat, facing one another, with their bare soles the closest together and their heads the farthest apart.

Considered good looking by most, both young women certainly found each other attractive. Vivi had a pretty face, long black hair, and a dark complexion. Shannon had adorable features, blond hair, and fair skin.

Shannon looked around. She couldn't see much in the low light of the room. Anything beyond Vivi faded off into shadow. So even though her intent was to search for a way to escape, her attention kept drifting back to her girlfriend.

No longer counting on much help from Shannon, Vivi struggled physically against her bonds. Her efforts got her nowhere. But they jiggled her feet in a way that caught and held Shannon's attention.

"You have the nicest feet," Shannon said, smiling sweetly as she enjoyed Vivi's shaking soles. "They're so sexy."

"Are you serious?" Vivi asked in annoyance and frustration.

"Of course I'm serious. You know I think your feet are sexy."

Vivi sighed, stopped struggling, and stared at Shannon.

"Yes, I do know that," Vivi said. "And I love it. But right now, I don't think it's the best use of your time to tell me--"

"You can see my feet, too," Shannon interrupted in a dejected voice. "You're not enjoying the view?"

"Shannon, I think your feet are sexy. I think you're sexy. You know that. I tell you often. But, seriously, now isn't the time. We've been kidnapped. We're bound to these weird chairs. In the dark. With no idea what's going on. Can you please focus on finding a way out?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. I just...wanted to make sure you still like what you see."

Shannon wiggled her toes and offered a hopeful smile. Vivi forced an agreeable smile herself and nodded. Then she went back to struggling against the straps. More contented now, Shannon began looking around again. But soon, she found her attention drawn back to Vivi's feet.

Soon, Vivi noticed where Shannon's gaze had returned to.

"Shannon, what's wrong with you? Stop staring at me and work on escaping!"

"But I...I can't stop...I can't stop staring....staring at your feet…"

With her annoyance ready to boil over into anger, Vivi suddenly noticed something: The bottoms of her feet were glowing softly in a constantly changing hue.

"What the--?" she thought.

Then she saw two faint faint beams of light emanating from way up above Shannon's head. She couldn't make out the source, but she could trace their paths down to the glow behind her toes.

"Shannon, listen to me, what do you see?"

Shannon's eye were wide, and her head swayed slightly like a balloon in a gentle breeze.

"Shannon! What do you see?"

"I see...nice-pretty-swirly colors...on your nice-pretty-sexy feet."

"Oh, no," Vivi said. "Shannon, you're being hypnotized. You have to snap out of it. You have to look away."

"I'm being...hypnotized," Shannon said in an unbothered voice. "I can't...look away. I must watch...the pretty-swirly-colors...on your pretty-sexy feet."

"No, Shannon! This isn't home! It's not me who's hypnotizing you! We're not having fun! This is bad! You have to stay awake! You have to break free!"

"I can't...break free. I must watch...the pretty-swirly-colors. I'm...sleepy. So...sleepy. So...sleeeepy…"

Vivi was at a loss for what to do. She knew all too well that Shannon was easily hypnotized and extremely suggestible when she went under. They both were, and they made use of that fact at home to have much fun, innocent and otherwise. Of course, Vivi thought that she herself had more willpower and was less controllable than her girlfriend. Shannon, though, would certainly have argued that point.

"How did someone know about our fetishes?" Vivi thought, as she helplessly watched Shannon spiral down into a trance. "Not just hypnosis, but bare feet, too? And why are they doing this to us? Why are they hypnotizing Shannon? In fact, why aren't they trying to do it to me? Maybe they know that I'm less suggestible than--"

Another source of light flared in the darkness, interrupting her thoughts. Like the other two, it originated from high up, and its source was out of sight. Without warning, a focused red beam shot down from it, striking Vivi in the forehead. She had just enough time to wince at the thought of it searing into her skull.

But the light brought no pain. Thankful, though confused, she tried to guess its purpose. Doing so yielded no answers.

Vivi looked again at Shannon. Despite her earlier admonitions to stay focused on the task at hand, she couldn't help but be distracted by how sexy her helpless, barefoot, hypnotized girlfriend was. It was certainly a pleasant distraction, and she began to regretfully understand Shannon's earlier infatuation even in the face of impending danger.

Still, Vivi thought, I have to be stronger than she was. I have to stay focused. I have to get us out of here.

But when she looked down at her chair and restraints, hoping to find a weakness in them, the image of her sexy partner remained with her. She shut her eyes. She could still see it. Shaking her head didn't clear it away. Neither did trying to think of other things--flowers, cars, elephants, pencil sharpeners. Everything fled from her mind, chased by the thought of sexy, helpless, barefoot, hypnotized Shannon.

The red beam continued to shine on Vivi's forehead. Then, suddenly, she understood. Their captors had known. They had known how to ensnare both Shannon and herself. She had no chance because they were feeding her mind what it wanted. Somehow they were doing it with the red beam. They had done the same to Shannon, giving her brain what it wanted by mesmerizing her with the multi-colored swirling lights.

Vivi knew she had to fight it. She had to resist. For both their sakes, she had to. And she would! She would fight! She would resist! She would--

Sexy, helpless, barefoot, hypnotized Shannon...Sexy, helpless, barefoot, hypnotized Shannon...Sexy, helpless, barefoot, hypnotized Shannon...Sexy, helpless, barefoot, hypnotized Shannon….

Vivi could see and think of nothing else but sexy, helpless, barefoot, hypnotized Shannon. She wanted to see and think of nothing else. She needed to see and think of nothing else.

Now both of the young women sat silently, with their eyes wide, their stares blank, and pleasant smiles gracing their lips. Presently, the beams of light ceased, no longer needed.

Their inductions had ended.

Then hidden speakers began broadcasting a regimen of instructions to them. The statements were simple and precise. After a few seconds, Vivi and Shannon began diligently repeating back what they heard. Over and over again, they pledged submission and obedience to their captors, who remained unseen and unknown.

Their brainwashing had begun.

It lasted for some time. Once completed, the broadcasts stopped. The binding straps released. Then the lights brightened from dim to daylight levels.

Over several seconds, Vivi and Shannon slowly roused from their hypnotic stupors.

"Mm, that's quite a view," Shannon said with groggy contentment.

"What is?" Vivi asked through a yawn.

"Not what, who. You're quite a view. You're gorgeous, and your feet are so sexy."

"Well, thank you. That's nice to hear."

"Ahem," Shannon said, then in response to Vivi's quizzical look, "yeah, it would be nice to hear."

"You and your sexy feet are also a lovely view," Vivi said. "Now, can we get up and go home?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting up already. I just wanted to make sure you still like what you see."

"Of course I do. Don't I tell you that a lot?"

"I don't know. Maybe you do."

"Oh, I do all right," Vivi said. "Not that it ever gets through. I'd have to brainwash you to get anything to stick in that adorable head of yours. In fact, I think that's what I'm going to do to you the next time I put you under."

"I'd like to see you try," Shannon said, sticking out her tongue. "And if you do try it, you better succeed. Because the next time I put you under, that beautiful little head of yours is mine to…"

The two girlfriends walked hand in hand out of the room. They headed home, blissfully ignorant that they lacked shoes, memories of what had just happened, and all awareness of how similarly they acted both before and after being completely brainwashed.