Read Online The Handshaker by David Robinson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: David Robinson
Tags: Fiction & Literature
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monitor, fed from a camera focussed on Danny’s arm, the hairs on his arm stood up and goose pimples broke out on his skin.
Croft liked Lecture room 107. Located on the first floor of the North Western University’s main building, it was twice the size of a normal classroom, and equipped with audio-visual aids, including a video camera and monitors. Worktables were arranged in rows facing a small dais at the front and as usual there were about 30 people in the room, mostly first year psychology students, but there were also two junior doctors from Scarbeck General Hospital: a sure sign that the NHS was taking a greater interest in alternative medical practices.
The morning’s events still bubbled away at the back of his mind. After leaving Sandra Lumb, declining an invitation to join Gerald Humphries for a cup of tea and a chat – he pleaded pressure of time – he had returned to his car and tried to ring Trish again, to no avail. Her mobile was switched off.
Croft was not worried. The chambers meeting could have gone on longer than she anticipated, or a new brief could have been delivered, with a client interview to follow. But he urgently wanted to detail the morning’s events to her, if only to get them off his chest.
Unable to do so, he had driven quickly to the university, grabbed a quick bite of lunch in the cafeteria, then arrived for his two o’clock lecture.
Of all his work at the university, the hypnosis demonstrations were the most popular with students. The legend had grown over the years to the point that they were now considered as much a sideshow as education. It was, however, a bit of a cheat. Danny, who worked as a groundskeeper on campus, had been his volunteer for the last five years and Croft had no need to go through the entire induction to hypnotise him. A simple touch on the arm accompanied by a command, ‘sleep’ would be enough.
The students made their notes. Most used pen on paper, one girl had a laptop computer open and tapped away on the keyboard, and one of the medics whispered softly into a digital pocket recorder.
Allowing them a minute or so to note their observations, Croft concentrated on Danny again. “Cold?”
“Freezing,” the gardener confirmed. “Has someone turned the heat off?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Croft instructed. “Sleep.”
Danny’s head lolled forward again and the monitor readings returned to normal.
Croft shut down the video camera and moved it to the rear of the dais. Returning to his lectern, he addressed the audience again. “So, as we can see…”
He trailed off. At the rear of the room, the door opened and Millie Matthews stepped in. With all eyes on her, she took a seat at the back and offered Croft a bleak smile of apology.
Croft went on with his lecture. “We can see that under my hypnotic suggestion, Danny’s skin temperature, rate of respiration and pulse all changed, in order to accommodate the imaginary changes. His arm even broke out in goose pimples and the hairs stood up to trap more heat. I don’t want to get sidetracked into the work of the autonomic nervous system. It’s beyond my province anyway, so you can read up on it yourselves. For now, it’s sufficient for us to know that it can be manipulated simply by persuading the subconscious mind that there have been changes to the physical environment.”
He stepped over to Danny and removed the electrodes from his arms and put them the carefully to one side. He faced the class again. “So how deeply ingrained is this phenomenon of suggestibility?”
Croft turned his attention to the volunteer. This was the part of the lecture the students enjoyed most.
He spoke to Danny in a strong, commanding voice. “When you hear the music begin, you will imagine that you are the best Elvis Presley impersonator ever, and you will give us your interpretation of Elvis on stage. When the music stops, you will wonder why you did it. Eyes open, wide awake.”
He snapped his fingers
Croft liked Lecture room 107. Located on the first floor of the North Western University’s main building, it was twice the size of a normal classroom, and equipped with audio-visual aids, including a video camera and monitors. Worktables were arranged in rows facing a small dais at the front and as usual there were about 30 people in the room, mostly first year psychology students, but there were also two junior doctors from Scarbeck General Hospital: a sure sign that the NHS was taking a greater interest in alternative medical practices.
The morning’s events still bubbled away at the back of his mind. After leaving Sandra Lumb, declining an invitation to join Gerald Humphries for a cup of tea and a chat – he pleaded pressure of time – he had returned to his car and tried to ring Trish again, to no avail. Her mobile was switched off.
Croft was not worried. The chambers meeting could have gone on longer than she anticipated, or a new brief could have been delivered, with a client interview to follow. But he urgently wanted to detail the morning’s events to her, if only to get them off his chest.
Unable to do so, he had driven quickly to the university, grabbed a quick bite of lunch in the cafeteria, then arrived for his two o’clock lecture.
Of all his work at the university, the hypnosis demonstrations were the most popular with students. The legend had grown over the years to the point that they were now considered as much a sideshow as education. It was, however, a bit of a cheat. Danny, who worked as a groundskeeper on campus, had been his volunteer for the last five years and Croft had no need to go through the entire induction to hypnotise him. A simple touch on the arm accompanied by a command, ‘sleep’ would be enough.
The students made their notes. Most used pen on paper, one girl had a laptop computer open and tapped away on the keyboard, and one of the medics whispered softly into a digital pocket recorder.
Allowing them a minute or so to note their observations, Croft concentrated on Danny again. “Cold?”
“Freezing,” the gardener confirmed. “Has someone turned the heat off?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Croft instructed. “Sleep.”
Danny’s head lolled forward again and the monitor readings returned to normal.
Croft shut down the video camera and moved it to the rear of the dais. Returning to his lectern, he addressed the audience again. “So, as we can see…”
He trailed off. At the rear of the room, the door opened and Millie Matthews stepped in. With all eyes on her, she took a seat at the back and offered Croft a bleak smile of apology.
Croft went on with his lecture. “We can see that under my hypnotic suggestion, Danny’s skin temperature, rate of respiration and pulse all changed, in order to accommodate the imaginary changes. His arm even broke out in goose pimples and the hairs stood up to trap more heat. I don’t want to get sidetracked into the work of the autonomic nervous system. It’s beyond my province anyway, so you can read up on it yourselves. For now, it’s sufficient for us to know that it can be manipulated simply by persuading the subconscious mind that there have been changes to the physical environment.”
He stepped over to Danny and removed the electrodes from his arms and put them the carefully to one side. He faced the class again. “So how deeply ingrained is this phenomenon of suggestibility?”
Croft turned his attention to the volunteer. This was the part of the lecture the students enjoyed most.
He spoke to Danny in a strong, commanding voice. “When you hear the music begin, you will imagine that you are the best Elvis Presley impersonator ever, and you will give us your interpretation of Elvis on stage. When the music stops, you will wonder why you did it. Eyes open, wide awake.”
He snapped his fingers
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