Warmth. The warmth of the sunlight on her skin, of the lush lawn beneath her soles. Lily wriggled her toes, enjoying the way the blades of vivid green grass tickled between them, and beamed brightly up at the blue sky. She turned on the spot, letting the light hit every inch of her. It was such a lovely sunny day, and she wanted to soak it up. She wasn’t even hypnotised yet, but she already felt a little more relaxed, a little less anxious and agitated, just from standing here, spinning round slowly in the sun.

As she revolved, she caught sight of Reece, standing nearby with a fond smile on his face. She blushed, but actually wasn’t embarrassed. Her shame threshold had shifted significantly in the months since what they’d come to refer to as ‘the Incident’, to the point where she wasn’t bothered by many things any more - certainly not being caught twirling around like a goof in her garden.

As such, she didn’t hesitate to get half-undressed in front of him, shucking off her denim shorts, which he deftly snatched out of mid-air when she flung them in his direction. She stood before him in a navy blue crop top and a pair of light grey briefs - just casual, comfy clothes. She was never going to wear sexy knickers for these sessions - her relationship with Reece remained purely platonic, and besides there was no point putting on something fancier when there was a risk of getting them messy.

She laid down on her back, settling on the warm grass, as soft as a mattress. Reece sat down just north of her head, cross-legged. By now she was used to looking up and seeing his upside-down face gazing down at her, but it still made her giggle a bit.

Though their first session had gone a little awry and discomfited her quite a bit, it wasn’t long before she sought out Reece’s hypnotic talents again. The state of serenity, of pure bliss, to which trance had taken her was just so amazing, so sensational, that she decided to risk it. Thankfully, she didn’t wet herself that time, or the next - but that might be because she didn’t go as deep. Partly because she was anxious about a repeat Incident, and partly because he didn’t want to take her that deep until they’d worked on her bladder control a bit. But within a few sessions, she was achieving similar depth to her first experience, without the same side effect... usually.

She still felt mildly mortified by it - but only mildly. It seemed impossible to feel embarrassment around Reece - he was so kind, and understanding, and empathetic. At this point, she’d more or less accepted the occasional accident as an unfortunate side effect of hypnosis, something that couldn’t be helped. It was worth it for the wonderful, blank-minded peace she felt when she went so deep into the darkest recesses of her own brain, she lost track of her body completely.

Her boyfriend, Dave, knew all about her sessions with Reece, and was very supportive. He remarked several times that she seemed much calmer, much more contented, since she’d started undergoing hypnosis. He was fully in favour of anything that made her life easier - he often expressed his worries that she worked too hard and stressed herself out too much. It was a huge comfort to know that he accepted this unusual thing she was doing to help her mental health - that he understood and appreciated how it benefited her.

He even understood that she spent some sessions half-naked, when she explained why. And the fact that he hadn’t broken up with her in disgust was conclusive proof of how lucky she was to have him. She’d struck gold when it came to male partners and friends - the two men closest to her in her life were completely devoid of toxic masculinity. It had to be some kind of miracle. “I need to play the lottery more often,” she joked to Dave a few days ago.

During her continuing sessions with Reece, they explored the nuances of hypnosis to a much greater extent - he put her into different kinds of trance from the total oblivion she’d first experienced. She found herself enjoying the way he could still her thoughts and streamline her mind, creating a sense of intense clarity and focus in which she could think and work more efficiently, without being distracted by her anxieties. In this mindset, she was only able to think about whatever she was doing at that moment, none of her other concerns intruding on her thought processes - which was incredibly useful. She got so much college work done, and even dutifully cleaned and tidied her and Dave’s flat, like a mindless maid. (Dave later joked he should buy her a sexy little uniform, which, she had to admit, she wasn’t entirely opposed to...!)

It felt so good, that state of clear, calm concentration, enabling her to complete her studies and her chores without overthinking, worrying and straining her brain. It was as if Reece reached directly inside her cluttered head and rearranged its contents neatly. She felt so much better when he tidied her mind.

But sometimes, she wanted her brain cleaned out with a pressure washer. Sometimes she wanted her thoughts swept away, her mind emptied out, her awareness obliterated, leaving her vacant and insensate. Sometimes she wanted to forget she even existed at all.

On days like that - days like today - they went out into her garden. It made total sense, and she couldn’t believe she wasn’t the one who suggested it. Nor was Reece, in fact - it was Dave’s idea, and an inspired one. For one thing, the garden was Lily’s safe space. She tended to it, planting and nurturing the flowers. It was hers. She felt more at peace out here - she always had, even before she started getting hypnotised, back when her anxiety levels were higher. He thought it would help her relax more.

She didn’t know if it did help her relax more - if she was going deeper into trance. She didn’t think that was even possible. But she certainly seemed to be relaxing faster, slipping into the deep dark void so much more easily in these vibrant, soothing surroundings. And that was definitely a benefit. The quicker the induction, the longer she could spend in the tranquil trance she so treasured.

The other reason was a purely practical one - it was the only place where it wouldn’t matter if she pissed herself (apart from sitting on the loo, and that didn’t exactly evoke peace and contentment). It was the perfect place to situate herself in case she had another accident - and she had, a few more times, since their first session. She felt less mortified each time it happened, Reece’s reassurance having an increasing effect upon her. Or maybe, while he mesmerised her, he had been persuading her subconscious that there was nothing to be ashamed of, that she had no reason to feel humiliated if she lost bladder control in trance. She idly wondered if that was what he’d been doing - if so, it was pretty clever of him.

Regardless, out here there was no danger of soaking the duvet, or the mattress, or the sofa, or the carpet - only the grass and the plants, which could always use a watering. And her panties, she supposed, but that was why she wore a pair she wasn’t too bothered about. (Pragmatically, it’d probably be more sensible to go fully nude, but she wasn’t prepared to do that in front of Reece, no matter how respectful he was.) Not having to worry about making a mess in her home was a huge weight off, the first of her numerous burdens to be lifted. Now she could fully relax, let go of her cares completely, and embrace and enjoy the experience. If she peed, she peed. Que sera sera - whatever will pee, will pee.

She giggled again at that thought, as Reece asked her if she was ready to begin. Smiling broadly up at him, she gave him the go ahead. He reached down, placed both hands on either side of her face, and began to press his fingertips into her cheeks.

She had found, in the past, that the best way to ease her tension headaches were with a facial massage. She used to rub her temples to relieve the pain, but eventually found that, actually, pressure on the sides of her face was much more effective. Reece was incredulous when she first told him about this, but after working it into an induction and seeing for himself how quickly it dropped her, he was more than happy to accept it. She was already the girl who wet herself in trance - why couldn’t she also be the girl who got hypnotised when you squished her face?

That was what he was doing right now, and it was having the desired effect. Already Lily could feel herself going dazed and dreamy, her eyes rolling back in her head, as she felt his fingers sink into her flesh and distort her mouth into a misshapen pout. It was, immediately, all she could focus on, all she could think about, her awareness narrowing to the feeling of those digits massaging her deep tissue. Her thoughts evaporated like mist on a mirror. The rest of her body went numb. All that existed in that moment were Reece’s fingers in her face - and his voice, soft and soothing and sensational, slipping into her ears and washing out her mind.

In mere moments, Lily was already more than halfway hypnotised. In this state, it was impossible not to sink down deep into serene, insensible sleep. She couldn’t think of resisting, of staying awake and alert, even if she wanted to - which she decidedly didn’t.

So she happily let go. She let go of her mind, her thoughts, her memories, her anxieties. She let go of her body, her feelings, her aches and pains, her self-control. She let go of her awareness, and plummeted into pure, euphoric, empty peace.

She let go of herself, and knew nothing but warmth.