You Are Under My Power

• Natalie Grimmett, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2009

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Amy was playing games on her computer. Her navy blue eyes were focused on the screen and her short blonde hair was dangling just above her shoulders. She was nearing the end of level 4 when she heard a piercing scream from her back yard. Amy rushed outside and saw her sister and parents lying on the grass. At first she thought that they were playing an absurd game, but on closer inspection Amy saw that everybody was quietly muttering nonsense to themselves. Amy panicked when she saw something move in the corner of her eye.
She turned around and saw a bush slowly swinging back and forth. She followed it with her eyes. Amy suddenly felt more relaxed than she had ever been in her entire life. She heard beautiful soft tinkling music that seemed to come from nowhere. Amy saw a man coming from the bush. She tried to scream but she couldn’t. She tried to run but her legs wouldn’t take a single step.
Amy was petrified with fear. This man did not look friendly. He walked along the grass as if he were floating. He had a mystical feel about him. His hair was black as ebony and his eyes were icy grey. “You are under my power,” said the man. As he said this Amy’s mind instantly filled with the word “HYPNOTISM”. The man snapped his fingers and Amy found herself moving against her will towards her mother and father’s bedroom.
When Amy entered the room she stopped. The man ordered Amy to seek out any valuables. She found herself heading towards her Mum’s massive closet. Amy suddenly remembered the magnificent treasure that lay within. She desperately tried to turn back but the man’s hypnotic powers were too strong. Amy found herself holding an old sock. Slowly reaching inside she pulled out a necklace. It was pure gold and encrusted with diamonds. The beauty of this necklace was outstanding and Amy felt extremely upset and shameful as she handed it to the man. He hid it in a secret compartment in his oversized watch. He suddenly started doing this weird dance and yelled, “HONK!”
Amy was instantly herself again. She ran to the man and tried to claim back her family’s treasure but he suddenly ran outside. A helicopter came along with a ladder dangling 2 metres above the ground. He grabbed on to the ladder and flew away. Amy looked where he had been standing and saw a diary on the ground. Amy grabbed it and read the entry that was written the day before:
Tomorrow I will rob a house using my hypnotism. I will hypnotise the residents to babble nonsense. Whoever babbles the most is the weakest and I will get them to give me their most prized possession.
Amy flicked to the back of the book and saw an address. She called the police and later that afternoon the precious necklace was returned. Hurray!