Choose-Your-Own-Brainwashing-Adventure, Day 2 (Patreon)

You take a deep breath and climb aboard the train. Like the depot, it feels like something displaced in time, a relic from the past, or the setting of a dream. You are one of the first people to board, and you quickly claim a banquette seat covered in plush, burgundy velvet. The one you’ve chosen is big enough for at least two people, and faces another just like it across a polished wooden table. Your presence has been planned for; there are three small cups arranged in front of you: one cup contains a small pill, one cup is sealed closed with a piece of waxed paper, and one contains a small amount of clear liquid. Before you can think about what that might mean, you’re distracted by movement in the aisles; someone has seated themselves across from you and you realize that almost everyone from the platform has chosen to board the train.

Despite the number of people, the train is serenely quiet. At first you are surprised that you aren’t hearing anyone breathe, until you realize that everyone seems to be breathing in unison. You and your fellow travelers are so in sync that you all gasp together when the voice from the platform again begins to speak.

“I’m so pleased that you’ve chosen to join me for this journey! I know you must all be very excited and perhaps a little nervous, so we’ll take a moment to calm you down before we begin.

“Take a deep breath, and let that air just sit in your lungs for a moment longer than it normally would.

“That’s right, just like that.

“And you can continue breathing just like that while I talk to you.”

You follow the voice’s directions. You are excited and a little nervous, after all, you’ve just gotten onto a strange train at the request of a strange voice. And the voice is right; each breath, taken in time with everyone around you, does help to calm you down. It’s almost as if the train car itself is breathing, as you and eleven other people all breathe in, and let the air sit in your lungs for a moment longer than you normally would, then breathe out again.

“As you breathe for me, I’d like you to notice the three cups in front of you. In a moment, I’m going to ask you to choose one of those cups, and what’s inside the cup you choose will help calm you even further. And you can trust that I have your best interests at heart, and that my only intention in taking you on this journey is to give you a wonderful experience that may leave you in a better place than when you started.

“Think about which of those three cups you’d like to choose, and when you are ready to trust me and let me guide you, just reach out your hand and touch which cup you want.”

Which cup will you choose?

1. The cup with the small pill.
2. The cup that’s sealed with waxed paper.
3. The cup that contains clear liquid.
4. All The Cups!