Dani Makes a Phone Call

(This short story contains some light hypnotic language, so make sure you're in a safe place to be able to read it.)

Dani stood in the phone booth holding her phone to her ear even though there was nobody on the other end.

It didn’t occur to her to find this odd.  Natalie had told her to make a phone call, so she was making a phone call.  Natalie had even told her what to say.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.

Pretty dolls don’t think.

Pretty dolls obey.

Pretty dolls get put on display.”

Dani repeated this mantra as she stared with vacant eyes at the busy street outside.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.”

People hurried by.  Shopping, hailing cabs, meeting friends for lunch.

“Pretty dolls don’t think.”

Most of them didn’t even look at the phone booth, but that didn’t keep Dani from feeling like a doll in a display box.

“Pretty dolls obey.”

And, of course, there were a few who checked her out as they passed.  Natalie had dressed her up and posed her to show off her best features.

“Pretty dolls get put on display.”

Dani couldn’t move from this pose, not even to scratch an itch or adjust her grip on her phone.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.”

Each time she repeated her mantra, she felt herself fall deeper into trance.

“Pretty dolls don’t think.”

That was good.  She didn’t need to think.

“Pretty dolls obey.”

Natalie hadn’t told her to think.  Natalie had told her to be a pretty doll.

“Pretty dolls get put on display.”

A group of men walked past, openly admiring her legs.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.”

Dani felt a gentle thrill at the attention.

“Pretty dolls don’t think.”

They walked away, like everyone else had done.  Nobody lingered long enough to notice she wasn’t moving.

“Pretty dolls obey.”

Nobody could hear her in the relative privacy of the phone booth.

“Pretty dolls get put on display.”

As far as anyone else was concerned, she was just a pretty girl making a phone call in private on a sunny afternoon.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.”

But she knew better.  She knew she was a doll.  Natalie’s doll.

“Pretty dolls don’t think.”

She knew that Natalie was watching her from the cafe across the street, and that it was important to be a good doll for Natalie.

“Pretty dolls obey.”

Each time she repeated her mantra, she felt prettier.

“Pretty dolls get put on display.”

She was so glad Natalie had had this idea.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.”

She loved the thrill of being shown off like this, even if the people on the street didn’t really notice.

“Pretty dolls don’t think.”

She felt so wonderfully blank.

“Pretty dolls obey.”

So exquisitely controlled.

“Pretty dolls get put on display.”

She loved the way Natalie made her feel.

“I am Natalie’s pretty doll.”

The text tone chimed on her phone, unfreezing her.  She read Natalie’s message.

“Good girl.  Now count to ten to bring yourself back up, wipe that drool off your pretty mouth, and come join me for dessert.”