Daddy Longlegs

A tree branch wrapped itself around Claire's waist over and over until it was squeezing the breath out of her. Kate was screaming muffled screams at Claire's side and the branches on her legs had only a few inches to go before they would be finding their way inside of her.

Claire held onto her last nail with a death grip and she started bashing at the scarecrow's arm with the hammer to keep it in place. She held the nail against the jacket sleeve and pulled back for another swing. The hammer head collided with the nail and drove it half-way into the wood, securing the arm against the cross.

The attacking branches relaxed and shrunk back into the scarecrow's sleeves, dropping Kate on her back into a pile of corn stalks. Claire kept pounding at the nail until it was flush. She grabbed another nail and poked it through the tip of the grain sack that was the scarecrow's head. She pounded it in place and grabbed another nail. She pinned the crotch of the pants against the wood and started slamming the nail into the wood with angry grunts. She repeated with another nail and another and another...

"Claire, I think it's okay," Kate said. She cautiously approached Claire, who was still swinging the hammer wildly.

"It's okay," Kate repeated. She put a hand on Claire's shoulder, causing her to finally let go of the hammer. "I think it's over."

The rain had stopped and house windows were illuminated in the distance.

Claire and Kate clung to each other and until their breathing steadied and were hearts were beating in unison.

"I think it's over. I think it's over." Kate kept repeating in a state of shock.

After several minutes tense silence, Claire finally spoke. "You shouldn't stay here."

"You couldn't pay me to stay here," Kate replied.

"Before we go, we need to stop at the hardware store," Claire insisted. She looked over the cuts and bruises on her hands from all of the panicked hammering.

"Why the hardware store?" Kate asked.

Claire looked up at the lifeless suit full of hay that was pinned to the cross and towering over them.

"I'm going to buy you a fucking staple gun."

"Okay, first question. Have you ever been hypnotized before?" Kate asked.

"You know that I have," Claire responded.

"Claire, it's not any fun if you don't play along!" Kate scolded. "How am I going to get good at this if you don't humor me?"

"Sorry, Dr. Thompson," Claire said with a giggle.

Kate was beyond adorable in her skirt suit and the fashion eyeglasses that she insisted on wearing during office hours. The phone rang and Kate groaned out in annoyance. "Here comes another one," she predicted.

"Business is booming," Claire commented as Kate ran off to answer the phone.

"Dreamscape Hypnosis, this is Kate. Yes, you called the right place. How long have you been having the nightmares? I see. Let me check the calendar for our next opening."

Claire hopped up from the couch to grab her phone. She scanned for the news article that she had started reading earlier that morning.

Farm Investors Inc., an agriculture-only real estate investment trust, announced a record-setting acquisition of 32,000 acres of Illinois farmland for a purchase price of $200 million. Small towns across Illinois are already noticing the changes, as the corporation's access to grain storage and drying facilities means the plowing season will start much sooner than residents are accustomed to.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Kate said with her hands at her hips. "No phones allowed. We are trying to attempt hypnosis here. I need you to be unplugged and relaxed."

"Sorry, Dr. Thompson," Claire said, setting her phone back on the desk. Claire returned to the couch and Kate sat across her in a chair and crossed her legs.

"I am going to put you in a hypnotic trance using progressive relaxation. I will walk you through your dream, as we had discussed. I will guide you every step of the way to help you intervene and change the course of your nightmare, using the alternate ending that we came up with together. Do you wish to proceed?"

"Yes," Claire replied.

"I am going to need you to remove all of your clothes," Kate instructed.

Claire gave her a raised eyebrow. "Do you really think that is necessary?"

"Yes," Kate said, withholding a smile and maintaining her best poker face. Claire stood up kicked off her shoes. She removed her blouse and stepped out of her skirt to reveal a black lace bra and panty set.

"How about this?"

"I'm afraid it all has to go. I need you to be in a comfortable, natural state," Kate insisted.

Claire blushed and reached back to unclasp her bra. She tossed it over to Kate playfully, causing her breasts to jiggle. Claire pulled down her panties and noticed the stubble growing back onto her pubic mound.

"Never again," she reminded Kate, shuddering from the memories of her first and last Brazilian wax.

"You said you wanted to try it. Don't forget that you won the grand prize at amateur night," Kate reminded her. "I still think you could have won with a bush."

"Trust me, I'll be trying that next time," Claire replied.

Claire sat up straight on the couch and she took a deep breath to prepare herself for the session. Kate spent several minutes winding Claire down and coaching her into a hypnotic trance. When Claire was resting comfortably on the couch with her eyes closed, Kate began with the script in her notepad.

"You will awaken in your bedroom and you'll feel footsteps approaching the door from the hallway," Kate said. Claire's eyes were twitching under her eyelids and she was breathing slow, steady breaths.

"A man enters your room and approaches the edge of the bed. You can't make out who it is. He is mired in shadows. You are paralyzed and unable to move. He crawls into bed with you. He cuddles up next to you to sleep at your side. You can feel his breath on your neck and his familiar hands hugging your body and pulling you close to him. How does this make you feel, Claire?"

"It feels amazing," Claire replied as a tear fell down her cheek. "I feel warm and happy."

"You spend the rest of the night in his arms. It feels like days. It feels like years. It feels like eternity."

Kate looked down at her notepad to find her place and proceeded with the rest of Claire's alternate ending.

"He notices that you are not alone in the bed. That you have found new love and you are holding her tight in your arms. He is confused at first. You turn and look James in the eyes and put a hand on his cheek. You tell him that you love him."

Claire was glowing as she lay on the couch. She could feel her heart swelling up with joy and desire. Kate eyes watered as she watched the woman that she loved experience such a transcendent emotional experience. She cracked a smile and continued with the story.

"You say to him—honey, I have a surprise. Something special happened after you were gone and I want to share it with you. How do you feel about adding a third?"