“How does this work?” I asked.
“Hypnosis is a natural state of the mind,” Trinity explained. “It’s a trance-like state that you may have experienced many times. If you’ve ever been driving a car and zone out, only to suddenly realize you’re almost home, you have experienced this.”
“Well, I haven’t, because I don’t drive,” I said awkwardly. “They don’t usually give driver’s licenses to blind guys.”
Trinity cleared her throat, sounding a bit embarrassed. “I’m so sorry. Yes, of course that example wouldn’t apply to you.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“Um, to explain further,” she floundered. “In this trance state, the conscious mind takes a backseat, and our subconscious mind is opened. Even non-magical people can perform hypnosis. However, with my magical abilities, I’m able to get you into a state of hypnosis faster, and amplify the clarity of your memories and visions. I can also access your subconscious in a limited capacity through psychic intuition. Finally, I’m a certified psychiatrist, so I can help you interpret these visions afterward. The whole session will take roughly an hour. Are you ready to begin?”
I settled deeper into the couch. “What exactly are we looking for in my subconscious?”
“That’s up to you, Charlie,” Trinity said. “Many students choose to leave themselves open to anything, so that their subconscious may show them the wounds that are most prevalent and need the most healing. Others choose to focus on one thing at a time, if they know what needs healing. However, setting an intention for the session doesn’t always ensure a specific outcome. Sometimes, the harder you push to hide something from yourself, the more it will push back and show up, both in these sessions and in your external environment.”
“I want to dive into my childhood,” I said. Digging through that dumpster fire should be enough to keep us from uncovering more recent issues I didn’t want her knowing about.
“Very well. Focus on the sound of my voice, and together, we will submerge deep into your subconscious.”
Trinity’s calm voice was soothing and could easily put me to sleep. She spoke along to the calm music, guiding me through a visualization of a waterfall. I pictured the sounds of birds in my head, imagining the spray of water from the waterfall and the hot sun on my skin.
When she said she could use her magic to put you into a trace quickly, she wasn’t lying. All it took was imagining myself at that waterfall, and I was no longer in the counseling room anymore.
All sense of time seemed to fall away. I could still hear Trinity’s voice off in the distance, but I couldn’t quite process what she was saying, as I was returning to the past.
* * *
I remembered the flashes of lightning against my bedroom walls. Thunder cracked outside my window. Though my night light usually scared the monsters away, they didn’t seem to care tonight. They were coming for me, stomping just outside my window.
The scent of fresh linen surrounded me, and I buried the teddy bear deeper into my nose. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and pulled the blanket over my head. It was the only way to keep the monsters at bay. If they couldn’t see me, they couldn’t find me. At three years old, that kind of logic made all the sense in the world.
Please, please, please, don’t let them get me,I begged.
I didn’t know who I was begging or why. All I knew was that something was wrong—terribly wrong. A horrible sense of dread dropped in my stomach, worse than anything I’d ever felt before. Worse than when those scary men took me away from my mom… worse thananything.My heart raced so fast, and my whole body trembled. The only explanation I had for it was the monsters.
“Charlie! Charlie, you mustn’t hide. I’m here for you.”
The voice sounded so kind, very unlike a monster. I was brave, so I peeled back the covers to peek at the man who’d spoken. My eyes went wide when I saw a glowing eagle flying around my room, leaving trails of starlight behind. His feathers were blue, red, and green, painted with all kinds of pretty designs.
In my memory, the eagle was so mesmerizing. I wanted to reach out and touch it. The thunderstorm outside my windows was all but forgotten as I watched the eagle fly around my room. He swooped down, and before my eyes, the bird transformed into a man. He had dark skin and feathers twisted into his long braids. His eyes were bright yellow, like an eagle’s, though they were welcoming.
“You’re not a monster,” I whispered.
He shook his head. “No. I am Eagle Spirit, the god of virtue. I am here to ask for your help, Charlie.”
“I’m just a kid,” I told him. “I can’t help.”
“Charlie, you are theonlyone who can help.”
I glanced around the room, and thunder boomed louder than ever this time, shaking the walls. I sank deeper under the covers.
“H-help with w-what?” I asked.
“You will not comprehend what I’m about to say, but it’s something you must hear, for you will remember when you are older,” Eagle Spirit said. “Your soul has fragmented. It can be made whole again, but only if it is reunited here on earth. But I’m afraid magic has interfered with the gods’ will, and I fear your soul may forever be separated.”
I didn’t understand what the man was saying. “I’m scared,” I whispered.
“I know,” Eagle Spirit said gently. “But time is running out, and there is only one way to save her.”
