Chapter 4: Background Picture

The previous day had been more wearing on my little houseguest than I thought, because Pyx didn't wake until ten am.

She slipped on her underwear, then her sundress, before she walked over to the adjoining door.

I was reading the paper, when I heard the faintest knock on the door. I opened it.

"Pyx," I said. "You don't need to knock. If we want you out, we'd have our door closed and locked."

The blonde looked on the verge of tears. "I know, sir. I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey! No big deal. I just want you to feel at home.

"Come in. Have some breakfast."

After such a heavy dinner, I had ordered a light breakfast. Some coffee, juice, fresh fruit, and pastry.

Pyx approached the dining table. "Is Vonda here?"

"No. She left to work at the front desk, a couple hours ago."

The novice looked like she was about to bolt, but she stopped herself, looking hungrily at the food.

"Help yourself. Vonda and I have had our fill."

She sat down, with two chairs between us, and proceeded to eat every last crumb.

"Would you like some more? I could order up some scrambled eggs or pancakes."

"Oh no, sir," she whispered, hands in her lap. "I'm fine."

I let out a sigh. "We need to get you over this fear you have of me."

"Oh, I don't fear you, sir. Not any more."

"But I make you uncomfortable."

She nodded guiltily. "I'm sorry, sir."

"You've never been alone with a man, have you?"

"Oh no! Every week I'm alone with Father Matthew. I tell him everything in confession."

I nodded my head. "I see.

"I'd like to try something that'll get rid of your nervousness. Would you like that?"

Pyx nodded her head, eagerly.

"It's an exercise in concentration and relaxation."

"Okay."

I walked over, and closed the connecting door. I had pushed a yellow thumbtack into the door.

"Pyx, I'd like you to look at the yellow dot. Focus on it, so all you can see is yellow, not even the borders. All you can see is yellow.

"While you are looking at it, your eyes lids may start to feel heavy. That's quite okay. Let them drop. As you keep looking you'll find it harder and harder to keep your eyes open. You may feel like going to sleep. That's fine. But as you go to sleep, you'll still feel alert. Able to concentrate on every word I say.

"Now, when I count to three, you'll be fully asleep, but still aware of everything I say. One, your eyes are closing. Two, they're almost closed. And three, you are fully asleep."

Pyx had her eyes closed, in a hypnotic trance.

"Pyx? Can you hear me?"

"Yes," she said in a dreamy voice.

"When you open your eyes you'll see Father Matthew next to me. But he'll not be real, but a ghost or transparent picture. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said slowly. "He's not real. Just an illusion."

"That's right. Now open your eyes."

Pyx opened her eyes, looked at the chair next to me, and broke into a big smile.

"What do you see, Pyx?"

"It's Father Matthew! But not really here."

"What does he look like?"

"He's older than you. Tall, gray hair, and blue eyes."

"How do you feel, seeing him?"

"Happy. He's always been so kind to me."

"You trust him. You are always truthful with him?"

"Always," she smiled.

"Good. As you look at him, you'll see Father Matthew slowly change. He's getting shorter, about my height. His eyes turning gray. Hair, brown."

"He looks like you," said Pyx.

"Like a brother," I said.

"Or a twin."

"So, you see, me and Father Matthew are a lot alike."

"Very."

"Good. Now close your eyes. When I count to three, you'll wake up feeling happy and refreshed.

"One, two, three."

Pyx opened her eyes. "So, when do we start?"

"It's already done."

"Really?"

"Really. Do you feel as nervous around me?"

Her blue eyes opened in wonder. "No, I don't."

I could tell she was still shy, but at least she was not about to bolt at the thought of being alone with me.

Oddly, it was easy to get her to talk about herself on an intimate level. In hindsight, perhaps it was not so strange. Our little hypnosis session got her to equate me with the only man she trusted, Father Matthew. He was a man that she bared her soul to every week. Therefore, she felt comfortable telling me her intimate secrets.

I jumped into my questioning, by seeing how far I could go. "Vonda tells me that you bind your breasts. When did you start doing that?"

Pyx blushed and bowed her head, but did not hesitate answering. "Several years ago."

"But, why?"

"My breasts started developing before most girls in my class. As a result, they teased me. Saying I looked like a tramp and a whore.

"Sister Theresa said not to listen to them. They were just jealous. As soon as they hit puberty, their teasing would end."

"Did you get teased a lot?"

Pyx nodded.

"I then remembered a story about a beautiful woman, who wanted to be a nun, but all the young men kept trying to woo her. In order to discourage them, she covered her face with dirt, and bound her breasts.

"So I tried it. I bound my breasts and it worked. They stopped teasing me."

"Did it hurt?" I asked.

"It was ... uncomfortable. But it was better than being called a slut."

"But Theresa was right. Soon the other girls got their figure, but you didn't stop your ... activities. Why?"