"Oh hi Master" purred Shasta, rubbing his body against the hypnotist.
"Hello kitten. Why don't you Heel?" replied the hypnotist. Shasta instantly went still, returning to his state of trance.
Susan scowled. "You're sure there won't be any side effects from this, right?"
"Of course I'm sure. You need to relax. Just breathe in and out. In... and out"
Without thinking about it, Susan was starting to follow along. Emily was going to ask something, but Ben covered her mouth.
"In... and out... More and more relaxed..." intoned Mesmero, "Sinking deeper and deeper... In... and out... and... Sleep!"
Susan slumped forward, but Mesmero deftly caught her, and sat her down in a nearby chair.
"Wow!" exclaimed Ben. "You hypnotized both of them!" Mesmero put his fingers to his lips, silencing the mischievous boy. The hypnotist deliberately turned Susan's eyes away from her husband.
"Now, Susan, I want you to think about tigers. Think about how tigers look and act. Think about their big furry tails, and their furry round ears. Think about how they prowl around on all fours. Are you picturing that?"
"Yes." responded Susan.
"Put those thoughts on hold for a second. I want you to think about your husband. Think about him on your wedding night. Picture him in your mind."
"Okay." she smiled at the happy memories.
"Your husband is not a tiger. Your husband doesn't have a tail, and his ears are perfectly normal. He always walks on two legs. Isn't that right?"
"Of course." replied Susan.
"Now go back to thinking about tigers. Your husband and tigers share nothing in common. Do you understand?"
"Yes. My husband is not a tiger."
"Shasta, wake up." The hypnotist called out, and then turned Susan to face her hypnotized husband. "What are you looking at?"
All Susan could see was the furry tail and the round ears, prancing around on all fours, and so she replied, "A tiger."
"That's right Susan. This is Shasta the circus tiger. Introduce yourself."
Susan's demeanor changed, and she scratched her husband between his fake ears. "Hi there Shasta, I'm Susan." The hypnotized man chuffed happily, enjoying the attention.
"Alright, Heel Shasta." Once again, John froze, falling back into the hypnotic trance.
Mesmero addressed Susan. "This is not your husband. This is Shasta the circus tiger. Now turn around."
Susan did so, and Mesmero quickly removed the ears and tail from John, and instructed him to stand up.
"Now Susan, who is this?" Susan turned around, and correctly said, "My husband, John."
"Alright, turn around again." The mentalist put the costume back on John, and made him go down on all fours.
"Now Susan, who do you see?" Susan, under the effects of the hypnosis, replied. "Shasta the circus tiger."
"Correct. Shasta's been with you all day. Your husband had to go to work before my show started. Isn't that right?"
"Yes of course." Memories of the previous day rapidly shifted in Susan's head.
"The circus lets your family take care of Shasta from time to time. Your kids love their time with Shasta, so you are happy when he's around. However, the arrangement is very complicated, so you forget all about it when Shasta isn't around. Repeat what I just said."
"The circus lets Shasta be our pet occasionally. The kids love when he's around, and I'm happy when they are happy. I don't like thinking about the details, so I forget about Shasta when he's not there."
"Perfect. Now Susan turn around one more time."
Mesmero took off the costume from John, put the pieces in a plastic bag and handed it to Ben, who had been eagerly waiting in silence.
"All of you, listen closely. Whenever Ben says the words 'Tiger Time', John will put on his costume and become Shasta. He will not act like a tiger until he is wearing his costume. Once he is wearing his costume, John will be Shasta, and will not act like a human. Susan will not notice that her husband is missing, and will be happy that Shasta is around."
"Whenever Ben says the words 'Father Time', Shasta will remove his costume and become John. Neither Susan nor John will remember anything about Shasta, and won't worry about John's absence. They will not notice John's costume when he is not wearing it, and will ignore any evidence of Shasta's existence. Do you both understand?"
Both parents nodded their heads.
"Alright then wake up."
John and Susan blinked, and reassessed their surroundings.
John was the first to respond. "Sorry for missing most of the circus, guys. Work was crazy."
Susan quickly downplayed the situation. "It's no big deal. The kids had a lot of fun. Isn't that right kids?"
"Yep!" said Ben and Emily at the same time. They couldn't wait to have more fun at their dad's expense.
Mesmero quietly exited the scene, enjoying the mischief he was going to cause.