Meet Elizabeth Newberry, age 35, never been married. She has the looks to attract a mate, but not the temperament. She doesn’t care much for male companionship. She prefers solitude, especially her books.
Elizabeth is spending one last night on the road before she returns home from a business meeting she was forced to attend… one last, relaxing night away from the daily routine she has grown accustomed to. In her possession is the latest book she’s been trying to finish for the last few weeks.
Elizabeth has put on her favorite swimsuit and brought her book down to the motel’s indoor swimming pool on the chance that some family with children might come down to enjoy a swim. She enjoys the sounds of little kids at play… enjoys the sounds of splashing and the gleeful cries of delight, especially since she believes she will never have children of her own.
Although Elizabeth likes to wear her swimsuit, she has this phobia: she’s afraid of the water. She won’t even take baths; just uses her shower at home! It’s perfectly fine for anyone else to get in the water and for some reason seeing little kids splash about gives her great delight. Just don’t ask her to dangle her toe in it!
She likes to come down to the pool in her swimsuit from time to time, bringing along her current piece of reading material, just so she can pat herself on the back for being so close to the water. It’s taken years for her to become comfortable sitting this close and she prides herself on her accomplishment.
There’s no one around; she has the pool all to herself. Of course she has no intentions of getting in, but that’s going to change and her phobia is about to take center stage!
Elizabeth Newberry is about to enter…
THE TWILIGHT ZONE!
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Elizabeth sighed wistfully as she read her book. As interesting as it was, she longed to hear the cries of a youngster playing in the pool. She was becoming acutely aware of her age and the fact that she would probably never bear children. If only that family of four she’d seen earlier would come down and make an appearance. That three year old girl looked awful cute and would probably enjoy paddling around in the pool with her mother at her side.
She suddenly heard the sound of the door opening and glanced up hopefully…
Darn! Just some guy in dark blue swim trunks!
She quickly buried her face in her book, hoping he hadn’t noticed her looking at him. Unfortunately, she thought she heard the quiet whisper of bare feet on tile get louder… as though he might be approaching her. She cursed inwardly, hoping she wouldn’t have to engage in any small talk.
“Hi! Mind if I join you?”
CRAP! So much for that idea!
“Whatever,” she answered curtly, hoping her shortness would put him off. Unfortunately it didn’t.
“Gonna go for a swim later on?”
“No!” It virtually came out as a snarl.
“Why not?” he persisted.
CAN‘T THIS GUY SEE I DON‘T WANT TO TALK??!!
“’Cause I‘m afraid of the water!” she snapped. There! That should drive him off!
“Afraid of the water?!” he replied in astonishment. “I could cure that!”
“Yeah – right!”
“No, really!” he said brightly. “I know hypnotism! I could cure it with hypnotism!”
“Those things don‘t work!” she stated firmly, almost angrily. Now he was really starting to get on her nerves! Why the hell wasn‘t he getting the hint??!!
“Not true!” he kept on. “I cured one guy from smoking and I cured a woman from raiding her refrigerator late at night!”
“Sure,” Elizabeth answered acidly, the sarcasm dripping off her tongue.
“No, really! I could cure your fear of the water! Just let me try a little hypnotism on you!”
“I don’t think so!”
“Ah, c’mon; give it a try! What would it hurt? You won’t be afraid of the water after I get through with you! Just let me try a little hypnotism on you!” The guy acted like he wasn’t going to take “no” for an answer!
Elizabeth roughly closed her book and slammed it down on the table! “OK – WHATEVER!” She was surprised at her outburst, but this guy was really starting to piss her off! Maybe if she just let him do his little hypnotist act on her – just went along with it – he’d finally leave her alone.
She got a glimpse of the eagerness on his face but it only angered her further. She shook her head, propped it up against her hand and sighed heavily as he stammered over his words, obviously excited she was going to let him try…
“This’ll be easy! Now ju… just… uh… follow me, OK? Just… just…” She kept her head up against her hand, hoping for a migraine so she’d have some excuse to leave. She realized she was just too dog-gone nice to people sometimes! She needed to be more assertive!
“Watch the watch… and just relax!” …and he saw her expression. “No, this will work!” he insisted. “Trust me!” …and he pulled the watch off his wrist, causing her to roll her eyes.
“Just watch the watch… and just relax!” he kept repeating. She shook her head in frustration as he waved it back and forth in front of her face…
“Just focus on the watch… focus on the watch… you’re relaxing.”
Elizabeth gave in, figuring she’d never get back to her book unless she let him go through with it! She looked at the watch and allowed herself to calm down and relax. As he kept waving it back and forth in front of her face she followed it with her eyes…
“Focus on the watch…. you’re relaxing………. you’re relaxing………. you’re feeling tired…………”
And damned if she WASN’T feeling tired! Her eyelids got heavy and she found it nearly impossible to keep them open. His words buzzed in her ears…
“You’re feeling very relaxed… very relaxed…”
She felt like she’d been sleeping for hours when she suddenly heard him speak to her…
“You are a beautiful mermaid.”
She couldn’t help but repeat it back to him word for word…
“I am a beautiful mermaid.”
“You are comfortable in the water.”
“I am COMFORTABLE in the water.” …and she believed it!
“I am not afraid of the water.”
“I am not afraid of the water.” …and she suddenly realized she wasn’t!
“The water is my friend.”
“The water is my friend.” …and she found herself longing to be in it!
“The water is my home.”
“The water is my home.” …and her desire to be in the water increased dramatically!
“I can BREATHE in the water.”
“I can BREATHE in the water.” …and she was certain it was true! She found herself desperately wanting to get into the pool!
“Now GO, my beautiful mermaid. GO to the water!”
YES!
She rose up out of her chair and walked trance-like over to the steps that led into the pool, even as something inside her trembled with anticipation. She grabbed onto the rail and slowly descended the steps, stepping into a pool for the very first time and feeling the water wrap itself around her feet, ankles and thighs like a long-lost lover.
She waded away from the steps into deeper water, walking slowly in her hypnotically-induced state. The water felt cool and sensual on her legs and she tingled as goose bumps covered her flesh.
The water climbed her thighs and covered her stomach as she continued to move into deeper water. Her face betrayed no emotion, but somewhere deep within her, her insides churned excitedly, as though she was finally coming home… home to where she belonged! She WAS a beautiful mermaid and she was finally returning home!
But somewhere in a corner of her soul, a voice was crying out in terror, wondering what in the world she was doing wading around in a pool! She was horrified that she couldn’t control her body, couldn’t stop herself from moving into deeper water. She felt absolutely powerless to stop what she was doing. It was as though someone else had taken over, someone who believed herself to be a mermaid of some sort.
As the water level climbed her body and reached her breasts, the mermaid Elizabeth quivered excitedly. Soon she would be underwater where she belonged. Soon she would be home. The water-phobic Elizabeth cried out helplessly, unable to stop what was happening to her as she continued to wade slowly toward deeper water, deep in her trance-induced state.
The water climbed over her breasts to her shoulders, indicating to her that it was time. She paused dramatically, the phobic part of her screaming helplessly. The mermaid part of her trembled with anticipation, not wanting to put it off any longer.
{NO – NO – NO – NO!} “Phobic” Elizabeth watched helplessly as “Mermaid” Elizabeth took a deep breath and submerged.
Air bubbled out of her mouth and nose and for a moment Elizabeth the phobic wondered if everything was going to turn out all right. She still had no control over her body or what was happening to her and she prayed that control would somehow be quickly restored.
Elizabeth the mermaid had no such thoughts. Completely surrounded by cool pool water, everything suddenly felt right with the world! Her body tingled excitedly as though she’d been plugged into a low voltage outlet. She drifted peacefully near the surface, too buoyant to stay near the bottom.
She suddenly became aware of her growing need to breathe as her lungs heaved gently in her chest. She needed air…
‘But I’m a mermaid!’ she realized happily. ‘I can breathe underwater!’ …and she opened her lungs to the chlorinated water…
{NOOOOOOOOO!}
Elizabeth convulsed sharply as her body tried to repel the liquid that entered her lungs. She began jerking and spasming as the pain increased dramatically and confusion washed through her…
‘But I’m a beautiful mermaid! I’m at home in the water! I can breathe in the water! I don’t understand!!’
{NOOOOO! OHMIGAWD – I’M GONNA DROWN!} Somewhere deep inside, Elizabeth wailed in helpless frustration.
Her body drifted to the surface as she convulsed and spasmed, her lungs desperately trying to pull air into her system. Elizabeth the mermaid cried out in confusion…
…and then the hypnotically induced trance was broken and the mermaid was gone, leaving Elizabeth the phobic all alone in control of her drowning body!
‘AAUUGGHH!! WHAT HAPPENED?! HOW’D I GET INTO THE WATER??!!’
She tried to move, only to discover she had no strength left. She tried to lift her head out of the water but it felt like a hundred pound weight above her neck and she was unable to raise it high enough to get a breath. She spasmed again, then went limp as most of her muscles shut down.
The pain in her chest was incredible! She stared down at the pool floor and opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, still trying to pull air into her lungs. She blinked in surprise…
…and then her eyes glazed over…
Elizabeth found herself floating in the air, looking down into the pool at a body that drifted lifelessly on the surface. It dawned on her that somebody needed to get the poor woman out or at least go tell the management that there was a dead woman in their pool. Then she realized to her horror that it was HER!
NOOO!
She looked over at the man who was standing by the rail, recognized him as the one who‘d hypnotized her. He was grinning wickedly and somehow he seemed more… EVIL! She opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.
Then her whole world went dark…
—–
He watched with satisfaction as she floated face down over toward the deep end of the pool. “Wow – that hypnotism worked!” he said aloud in amazement. “I drowned the bitch!”
He stared at her for a few moments before he realized he needed to go. There was a woman on the East coast with a fear of heights and he needed to go see if he could hypnotize her into stepping off the roof of a skyscraper. He nodded at the body of the woman in the pool, then abruptly vanished with a shimmer…
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We all have our ways of dealing with our fears and phobias. Elizabeth Newberry blindly tried to face hers, unaware that she’d just entered…
THE TWILIGHT ZONE!
© 2006 (written Mar 29 ’06 by riwa)
(Pictures are added for illustration purposes only.)