​In the hustle and bustle of circus life, it’s easy to be swept away by the dazzling displays and wild sights. The fantastic, the unnatural, brightly and visibly put on display to capture the attention of even the most stoic patron. But though few venture into the quiet, soft covered stage of the hypnotist, his performance is my favorite.

While the other shows rely upon stimulation overload to attract and keep attention, the hypnotist operates in a much more surreptitious way. His demeanor is calm, inviting the audience to be lulled into complacency. His voice is soothing, slipping smoothly into our cerebellum to coil gently around our minds; a warm hug to our innermost parts.

Sometimes, you don’t even understand that words he speaks (or perhaps you simply don’t comprehend them), but your body knows what to do. It stands and walks upon that stage without resistance, putty in the hands of the hypnotist. You cluck like a chicken or bark like a dog, fall asleep at the snap of his fingers and awaken in the same manner. You tell secrets about yourself you thought you’d placed under lock and key, and you perform fantastic physical feats you never thought possible.

When it’s all over, the feeling is hard to describe. You feel warm and cozy, like cinnamon in hot milk, like vapors wisping upon the skin. You feel drained, but not in the bad way; the exhaustion feels good, emptying, like relaxing after a hard day’s labor, or breathing in after a deep massage.
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I don’t even care if I came out with a few coins less than I started, it is always well worth the experience.