The two made their way back to the college campus. They stayed at the dorms on the university campus, but the weren't roommates. They had only begun to hang out recently, and had yet to have a chance to request a room together. They lived on the same floor so they visited each other often. They often spent their time together in Ben's room, as he no longer had a roommate (he dropped out, leaving Ben to himself). The two found themselves back at Ben's room, still talking about the show.
"Did you see when he made that one guy start clucking like a chicken?" Gary said, flopping onto Ben's bed. "I still don't know how he managed to make him lay an egg, though..."
Ben shook his head as he opened the pantry, looking for something to munch on. "It's called sleight of hand. That guy's part magician. Even if he doesn't get his little amulet back, he probably has some back up material or something."
Gary made a face. "You still worried about that? Like I said, you can look for some contact info tomorrow. I probably wouldn't worry too much about it, though. He's a stage hypnotist. That thing's probably made out of cheap plastic or something."
Ben pulled the medallion out of his pocket. He admired the way it reflected the light as he hefted it in his hand. He then tapped it, making a satisfying clinking sound. "No, this feels like the real deal," said Ben, holding it up.
Gary chuckled. "He's probably got a dozen of them. The show was good, though. I liked it."
Ben nodded, still observing the medallion. He twirled it a bit, admiring the optical illusion of the blinking eye. "Yeah, I did, too. You know, you've been pretty nice to me ever since Rick..." Ben trailed off as he noticed Gary was staring at him, slack jawed, eyes unfocused.
"Gary?" Ben asked, taking a step toward his friend. "What's the matter?"
Gary's eyes did not follow Ben as he crossed the room. He stared unfocused into space, much like the the volunteers from the show had.
"Very funny, Gary," Ben said, rolling his eyes. "Now, I have to get to bed. I've got class in the morning. Gary?"
Gary hadn't moved. He didn't even blink. Ben held the medallion up again, and twirled it. Had he... No! Hypnosis didn't work like that. It was the cadence of voice that put people into a trance, and only some of the time. Moving objects were known to have a similar effect, but only in controlled situations.
"Gary, can you here me?" Ben asked, annoyed.
"Yes...," Gary answered in a creepy monotone.
Ben sighed. "You're not going to let this go, huh? Fine, I'll play your game, but after we're done, you have to go to bed."
"Yes...," Gary answered again.
"Alright, uh..." Gary searched for an idea. He then recalled the video the one guy had taken of them. "Act like a monkey."
Gary's glazed, unfocused expression immediately became one of curiosity. His knees bent, and his arms arced awkwardly out at his sides. He began chittering in an excellent imitation of a monkey, much like he had in the video. He began lumbering around the room, climbing on things, picking other things up, sniffing them, and picking at his clothes. Ben let this go on for a minute before stopping him.
"Alright, that's enough," Ben said, waving his hands. "This is beginning to get weird."
Gary stood up straight, hands at his sides with a glazed expression on his face, much like before.
"Hop on one foot," Ben said.
Gary did so.
"Rub your stomach at the same time."
Gary complied.
"While humming the national anthem."
While hopping on one foot and rubbing his stomach, Gary began humming a pitch perfect rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.
"Not bad..." Ben muttered. "Okay, stop."
Gary assumed the standard position, once again. Ben walked a slow circle around his friend. Either Gary was really committed to this or...
"Alright, Gary," Ben said, holding the medallion up. "One final test. You will go over to my toaster, turn it on, and stick your hand in one of the slots."
Without so much as a nod, Gary immediately walked over to Ben's kitchen. He pulled out Ben's toaster and pushed the plunger down. Then reached over with a hand and began lowering into a slot. There was absolutely no hesitation or teasing about Gary's action. He was really doing it.
"Shit! Stop! Don't!" Ben yelled, when he realized his friend was going through with it.
Gary froze, his fingers mere centimeters from entering the toaster.
"Back away from there," Ben said, pushing Gary away from the toaster, just to be sure. Damn! His friend was really hypnotized. Well, either that or a masochist. But that was impossible. Either Gary had an extremely weak mental fortitude or this medallion was something far from the ordinary. Cheap plastic indeed...
"Gary, are you okay?" Ben asked, taking a look at Gary's hand.
"Yes...," Gary murmured.
"Are you seriously hypnotized? Not joking with me here? Seriously, Gary, you're freaking me out."
"Yes..."
"Can't you say anything other than 'yes'?"
"Affirmative...," Gary muttered in a monotone.
Ben glowered at Gary. His friend's face was completely expressionless, not the barest hint of a smile. Ben knew Gary; there was no way the man could keep a straight face like that for this long.
Ben looked his friend over. He had often admired his physique. He was athletically built, not a hint of fat. He was also immaculately groomed, his hair cut short, his face clean shaven, and he smelled only of deodorant, even after they had been out. Ben had an idea for one last test. It was a bit different than the others, but this would prove this thing once and for all.
"Alright, Gary," Ben said, smirking as he held the medallion back up. "When I snap my fingers, you will exit this trance and be completely back to normal. But with one exception: You will no longer care for physical activity and personal hygiene. You will turn into a fat slob of a person."
It sounded cruel, but true hypnosis couldn't change people like that. At his core, Gary was a guy who loved two things in the world, working out and looking good. There was no way hypnosis could do that. He just wanted to see what kind of response he would get.
"Do you understand?" Ben asked.
"Affirmative...," Gary said, slowly.
"Alright, then," said Ben. "On the count of three, then. One, two, three!" He snapped his fingers.
Gary's eyes immediately refocused and he looked mildly dazed for a second before recovering.
"What were you saying," said Gary, stifling a yawn. "I zoned out, there, for a second."
"Nothing important," said Ben. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," said Gary, scratching his stomach. "Listen, I've got to go to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya," said Ben, watching Gary collect his things and leave the room.
Ben glanced back down at the medallion, its abstract design somehow looking creepier than it did before. He opened his junk drawer and tossed the piece of metal in, hearing it clank. That was enough weirdness for one evening.
Ben went to bed, not anticipating what would happen the next day.
_______________________________________
The next day proceeded as normal. Ben went to his morning classes as usual. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He had enjoyed himself the previous night, more so than he had expected. He wrote off the incident with Gary as his friend playing a joke.
Ben didn't share any of his morning classes with Gary, and Gary usually slept in because he didn't have any classes until the afternoon. They usually didn't see each other until lunch, which they usually had together. Gary would often get teased by his friends for hanging out with a gay guy so often even though Gary was straight. Gary would shake them off and ignore them. It was no different than two straight guys hanging out. Sexual orientation had nothing to do with it.
Ben sat at the cafe they usually had lunch at. He was by himself, which was unusual. It was unlike Gary to be late. He had just decided to eat his lunch without Gary when his friend suddenly sat down at the table with him. At first, Ben was happy to see his friend, but the he noticed something was... off with Gary.
Gary obviously hadn't shaved that morning, as thick stubble covered his jaw. Though, it looked like he hadn't shaved in a week, which was impossible because he had been clean shaven the previous night. His hair, strangely, seemed slightly longer and limper, like it hadn't been washed recently. Gary's face seemed a little rounder, the flesh under his chin looser, threatening to form a second chin. His shirt seemed tight on him, like it was a size too small as a small gut pushed on it from the inside. The man's pants were obviously now too small for him, as the emphasized the man's gut. There were various stains covering the man's shirt and pants as well. Speaking of clothing, Ben was sure those were the exact same clothes Gary had wore last night.
"Hey," said Gary, seemingly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. It took longer to get here than I remember."
Ben stared wide eyed at his friend. There was no way... This had to be a joke. Gary knew what Ben had said and was now pulling a prank. But you couldn't fake weight gain like that. It was just so...
"Are we going to eat?" said Gary, pulling at the crotch of his pants, obviously uncomfortable. "I'm starving!"
"What... What the hell!" Ben couldn't help but quietly exclaim. "What happened to you? You're huge?"
Gary glanced down and frowned, tapping his stomach. "Huh. I've gain a little weight, I guess. I'm not really, huge, though."
"A little... A little weight?!"
Gary shrugged. "Okay, some weight. Are we gong to eat?"
"How can you be okay with this? Half of your life is spent in a work out room. You're the only straight guy I know who cares about their appearance as much as you do. When's the last time you shaved? Or took a shower? You smell awful!"
Gary shrugged. "I guess I don't really care about that stuff anymore. Listen, Ben, I'm still the same guy. We can still hang out and do stuff together, I just re prioritized a few things."
Ben shook his head. It had to be that amulet. There was no other explanation.
"How much weight have you gained?" Be asked.
Gary shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know. I think I'm still gaining, though. I wasn't this big this morning. Chances are I'll be bigger by evening. Man! I've got to get new pants..." He reached down and unbuttoned his jeans, giving his more room. "Well, I'm going to get some food. You're welcome to join me."
With that, Gary stood up and approached the counter, leaving Ben to stare wide-eyed at his friend.