Choose Your Own Brainwashing, Day 17 (Patreon)

Lee laughs, and the sound of it teases the inarticulate moan you can’t help but make out of your mouth. Lee laughs, and it’s as if every part of you that can possibly feel pleasure is suddenly tuned to respond only to that sound. Lee laughs, and you moan again.

“I’ve always wanted to write songs,” she muses. “This is a little bit like having my own orchestra!”

Her words are bursts of warmth against your skin and flashes of light inside your mind. Your mind, which is still trying so desperately to repeat “Pleasure. Obedience. Programming. Control.” You attempt to mouth the words, but only that formless sound comes out.

“I wonder what type of instrument you should be? Something that gets stroked?” At the word ‘stroked’ you seem to feel a cool touch caressing you.

“Something that gets plucked?” And your nerves begin a syncopated ping.

“What about something that gets blown?” There’s laughter in her voice when she says that, but it doesn’t distract you from the intense sensations you’re now feeling.

“Or maybe you should be something that gets beaten.” It’s a statement, not a question, and quite abruptly you feel trapped; pleasantly cornered by a burning need to know exactly what kind of beaten she means…

“A musical instrument is an object, and even though it can seem as if it has a life of its own, it really is just at the whim of whoever plays it. Helpless to do anything but what it’s directed to, moving only when moved, and of course being utterly, unavoidably mindless.

“You’re not using your mind right now anyway, so let’s just lock that away now. No thoughts, no needs, no urges, no longings. Just listening to my voice and letting it guide you to where you can best serve my needs.

“There are a lot of reasons someone might choose an instrument. Maybe they have an affinity for that type of music, or a particular natural skill for playing it. Maybe they discover that skill and choose a piece built by a master craftsman and polished and honed to perfection.

“And they keep that instrument and they learn how to attune themselves to its particular quirks until it’s almost an extension of them. And because it is such an important part of how they create they cherish it and keep it safe. Maybe it will be a gift for someone incredibly special, or a family heirloom, passed down and used by each successive generation.

“ I think I’d like for you to be my instrument for a while.”

Which instrument speaks to you?

1. Something stroked
2. Something plucked
3. Something blown
4. Something beaten