After a while, I finished writing. Then I posed the question to everyone, "Who wants to be hypnotized?"
Everyone raised their hands except Tonni. All of them seemed curious, except for one.
Seeing Meem's hand raised the highest, I handed her the paper. Hasan whistled at me, and Farzana gave me a look of smug satisfaction. Their reactions didn't sit well with me, but I controlled myself and said to Meem, "There are ten points on this list. Read them all carefully. Once you finish, you'll be hypnotized."
Meem started reading as I instructed.
The first point on the paper read: "Place your hand on your cheek and take a deep breath while keeping your eyes open. This is good for your respiratory system, and you'll feel better." Meem followed the instructions, placing her hand on her cheek and inhaling deeply.
Everyone asked, "What did it say? What happened?"
I replied, "Be patient, don't disturb her."
Meem proceeded to the next point. It read: "If the first step didn't work, try this. When people lie, they have to think of additional lies to support the first one. That's why their pupils often shift to the upper left corner, as the left side of the brain is more active. Now, tell a lie and observe your eye movements."
Meem thought for a moment and then said, "Today is my 18th birthday."
After saying that, she checked her pupil position using her phone's camera. Rima asked again, "What does it say?"
I quickly reassured Meem, "You don't need to turn that lie into truth. We know you're lying. Move on to the next one."
Everyone seemed confused, unsure of what was happening. All eyes were focused on Meem with growing curiosity, except Tonni, who seemed annoyed and said, "This is a waste of time. She's lying."
Meem ignored Tonni and continued reading. Her curiosity was stronger than Hasan's or Rima's, and she wasn't going to stop until she read the whole thing. After reading the next point, Meem picked up Rima's handbag and Hasan's DSLR camera and then closed her eyes. I knew she was trying to see red. According to the paper, it read: "If you hold something heavy and close your eyes, you will see a red hue because of the strain created by the weight on your arms."
Meem stood there, eyes closed, for ten to eleven seconds.
I asked, "Did you see anything?"
She replied, "I'm not sure."
"That's fine, go to the next point," I said.
She moved on and handed me the bag and camera before standing still with her eyes closed. I was certain she was now trying to see the blue sky. The instructions read: "Drop whatever you're holding immediately. This will relieve your stress, and closing your eyes will show you a calming blue sky."
After about ten to twelve seconds, Meem opened her eyes and looked around. Not seeing me, she asked, "Where's Sakib?"
Rima said, "He ran off with our bags."
No one could quite grasp what was happening. Everyone murmured among themselves, confused about whether Meem was truly hypnotized. They didn't notice I was hiding behind the curtains of the room. Meanwhile, Meem called me, trying to figure out where I was.
I stepped out from behind the curtains with a grin and said, "Here I am. By the way, your bag and camera have been stolen."
Meem, now more confused, asked, "When did you steal the bag and camera?"
I replied with a playful smirk, "You kept your eyes closed for more than five seconds. That was more than enough time for me to take them."
Rumana said, "But Meem wasn't hypnotized."
I replied, "No, the moment Meem decided to deeply engage with the points I wrote, she was hypnotized. Meem got so absorbed in the points that she followed every command on the paper. It happens to all of us. For example, when we're playing games or reading a book and someone calls us, we don't hear them. But to hypnotize someone, you need to tell a good story—something that grabs their full attention. That's why I asked who wanted to be hypnotized. It only works if the person is willing. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about hypnosis. Many people think it's some kind of magic that brainwashes others. But in reality, it's not magic—it only gives results similar to magic."
Meem said, "But I didn't even get to the other six points you wrote down."
I laughed. "Yes, I gave you ten points so you'd think you needed to complete all ten steps for the full effect."
Meem replied, "Oh, I see."
I continued, "But there's something else."
Rima asked, "What?"
I smiled and said, "The points for hypnosis aren't real. I made them all up."
Everyone gasped in surprise. "What?!"
"Yes, that's the truth. My goal was to hypnotize Meem, and I wrote those points to help achieve that. There's no such thing as magic—it's all about science. Scientific techniques can trick people, and people are often drawn to these methods. That might be the technique the person used on the girl."
Hearing my explanation, everyone was quiet. It seemed like they were satisfied. I had successfully silenced the room with my demonstration. Suddenly, a girl in a blue and white dress, who Meem had introduced as her school friend, spoke up, "Okay, I understand, but what happened to me was something more complicated—it felt like real magic."
Rima asked, "What happened?"
The girl began to explain, "One day, a man asked me to give him my necklace, saying he would show me some magic with the locket. Thinking he was a magician, I gave him the necklace. He dangled the locket between his fingers and told me to keep my eyes focused on it without blinking. Then he said some words. After a while, I felt like I fell asleep. When I woke up, the man was gone—along with my necklace."
Rumana was astonished. "Really?"
Meem, equally surprised, asked, "And then?"
The girl continued, "I wasn't too worried about the necklace because I knew I wouldn't get it back. But what really confused me was what had happened to me. Afterward, I tried using the same method to hypnotize my friends, but it never worked."
Everyone was taken aback by her story. Farzana then turned to me and said, "Alright, explain this one."
I was a bit annoyed by the way she demanded an explanation. It felt like I was attending a "hypnosis Q&A" instead of a birthday party. After a moment of thinking, I said, "Does anyone have a necklace with a locket?"
Meem asked, "Can you actually do this?"
I replied, "Let's give it a try."
The girl handed me her necklace, "Will this work?"
I nodded. "Yes, it will."
I instructed the girl, "I'm going to swing this locket now. You must keep your eyes on it and not look away."
I began to swing the locket back and forth. The girl fixed her gaze on it as I recited, "The locket is swinging just like a leaf swaying in the spring breeze. The winter fog dissolves into dew in the cool air. Your mind is calm now, floating like clouds in the sky…"
A few moments later, the girl fell asleep. I stopped swinging the locket and told Meem, "Wake her up."
Meem gently woke the girl, who blinked in confusion and asked, "How did you do that? I've tried so many times, but it never worked!"
I explained, "You didn't succeed because you weren't holding the pendulum correctly."
The girl asked, "What do you mean?"
I replied, "Give me a minute, I need a glass of water." Meem handed me a glass. After drinking, Hasan said, "Alright, explain now."
"To perform the pendulum technique correctly, you need to focus on two things. First, the pendulum must be held 30-40 centimeters away from the person's face. Second, the pendulum should be 1-2 inches above their eye level. This makes them look slightly upward, which tires their eyes. After focusing for a long time, their eyes will get exhausted. At this point, if the person swinging the pendulum recites some words to induce sleep, the victim will fall asleep. The more they focus, the deeper the hypnosis will be."
After the explanation, Hasan joked, "So everything's clear, but why did you choose to hypnotize Meem instead of anyone else?"
Farzana chimed in, "He's trying to impress Meem, of course! Hypnosis, magic—who knows what else he'll try!"
Meem, who was busy talking to her friend, didn't hear the comment. I responded, "Do you know whose birthday it is today?"
Farzana replied, "Are you kidding me? It's Meem's, of course!"
I teased, "Judging by your expression, it looks like you've given Meem a nice gift!"
Farzana, clearly frustrated, said, "You're just trying to change the topic! Anyway, Meem is my good friend, so of course, I'll give her something nice to impress her."
I chuckled, "Well, I'm also Meem's good friend, and I wanted to impress her too. So, what's the problem?"
Seeing Farzana puff up in annoyance, I realized she wasn't happy with my response. She muttered, "I'll figure out what's really going on between you two!"
Hasan whispered in my ear, "Bro, her face was priceless. Haha!"
I called out to Meem, "It's getting late. We should head home now."
Meem replied, "Yeah, you are right."
Hasan, turning to Tonni, said, "See? This is our Sakib—the guy who debunked your magician's tricks."
Tonni rolled her eyes, unimpressed. The girl then said to me, "Thanks, you cleared up my confusion."
I nodded, "You're welcome."
Suddenly, Meem said, "But those guys committed a crime. If crime increases, it'll cause a lot of problems for ordinary people. Something has to be done."
Rima agreed, "Yeah, they need to be caught."
Rima looked at me as she said this. Noticing her stare, I asked, "Do you think I'm the criminal?"
Rima laughed, "No, not at all. Let's catch the criminals!"
I replied, "That's what Hasan's uncle is for. Just tell him, and it'll be sorted."
Hasan said, "I'll tell him tonight."
I reassured Meem and Rima, "You don't need to worry anymore. You can relax now. I'm heading home."
Meem smiled, "Alright, see you in class."
I nodded, "See you then."