"And then what happened?" Mellisa asked.

"I don't remember," Angela said. "The next thing I knew, I woke up in my apartment. I was wearing the same clothes I had on at the party, but I was barefoot. I couldn't find the shoes I'd worn anywhere. They were those strappy heels I'd bought specifically for that night. There was no sign of them. They were gone."

"Huh. Weird."

"That's not even the really weird part. For the rest of the weekend, I couldn't put shoes on."

"What do you mean, you couldn't put shoes on?"

"I mean that my feet had to be bare. No shoes, no socks, nothing. Thankfully, I didn't have to go anywhere. And by Monday, I could wear shoes again."

"That's crazy."

"I know."

"No, I mean it's baloney. You're full of it."

"I'm not making it up. It really happened."

"So, let me get this straight," Mellisa said. "You went to a party Friday night. You met someone there. A hypnotist. You don't know if it was a man or a woman. But whoever it was, they hypnotized you. They made you forget everything that happened while you were hypnotized. And they also made you forget who they were. And then, to top it all off, they gave you some bizarre post-hypnotic suggestion that you had to be barefoot all weekend. That's what you're telling me? That's what you expect me to believe?"

"Look, I know how it sounds. But that's what happened. I'm telling you the truth."

"Whatever."

"And there's more," Angela said.

"Of course there is."

"Several times over the weekend, I shared a video on Instagroup with different girl friends of mine. Each time, I didn't even realize I had done it until afterwards. I don't know what the video was because I couldn't open it myself."

"It didn't work on your device?"

"No, I mean I couldn't make myself open it."

"Oh, right, another post-hypnotic suggestion from your mysterious mesmerist: 'Share this video with your friends, but don't watch it yourself.' Come on."

"I'm not lying. I wish I was, but I'm not. I think the video was a way to hypnotize more women. If it was, then I also wish I hadn't sent it. But like I said, I didn't even know what I was doing until I'd already done it."

"I don't know if you're pranking me or leading up to a punchline or what," Mellisa said. "But, jeez, you're all in, aren't you? Well, I'm not. I'm out of here. See you later."

"Please don't go. I need help. I think I'm still under their control. Not as much as before, but still to some degree. Because, I'm barefoot again--see? And, I need...I need to show you the video. I don't want to do it. And I don't want you to watch it. But...I have to get you to watch it."

"Ah, we finally get to the punchline. I'll admit, I am curious. A little bit. You're not very convincing. And the story is whack-a-doodle to say the least. But, I can't say it's not creative in its own warped way. So, fine, show me the video. But, don't send me a link. I'm not opening it on my phone. No way in hell."

"Okay. On my computer. In here."

"Suddenly you're all monotone? I'm guessing that's supposed to indicate you've succumbed to the hypnotist's control again. Nice touch, if a bit over the top. "

"Press play. Then watch. The whole thing. I'll be outside."

"Yep. Got it. I can't believe I'm going along with this very stupid, not funny joke, but, here we go...Okay, Angela, how long does this go on for? I've been watching for almost a minute now. I'm not seeing anything funny. I'm not feeling sleepy. I'm sure as hell not being hypnotized. I'm not going to keep watching forever. I'm not...I'm not going to look away. I'm not going to resist. I'm not going to think. I am getting sleepy. I am being hypnotized. I will obey. I must obey. I must be barefoot. I must always obey. I must always be barefoot...."

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