THE ILLUSIONIST’S TRAP Episode 2- Hypnotic Proposal

🎭 THE ILLUSIONIST’S TRAP

A Tragicomedy in Five Episodes

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Episode 2 – The Hypnotic Proposal

• Kazeem could not sleep that night after meeting Lady Vanessa. He tossed on his mat, staring at the cracked ceiling, whispering to himself: “Banana Island… Dubai… This is not ordinary. This is divine.” For a man used to eating akara on credit, the thought of marrying into riches made his heart drum like talking drums.

• But he knew women like Vanessa didn’t just fall for hungry magicians. He needed a shortcut. He needed a miracle. Or better still—he needed his most dangerous trick: hypnotism.

• Hypnotism was something Kazeem rarely attempted. Not because it didn’t work, but because it worked too well. The last time he tried it, the gateman of a politician almost sold his boss’s car to him. He escaped only by vanishing into a gutter. Yet, desperate men don’t fear dangerous tricks.

• So, in his small room with flickering candlelight, he invited Lady Vanessa over. She came, perfume filling the air like an invading army. She looked around his shabby room and laughed. “Kazimondo, is this your royal palace?” she teased, fanning herself.

• “My queen,” Kazeem said with a bow, “what you see is temporary. What is inside me is greatness.” He quickly brought out a rusty wristwatch, the chain almost broken, and began to swing it gently. “Look into my eyes,” he commanded, his voice dropping to a dramatic whisper.

• Vanessa giggled at first. “What are you trying to do, my magician?” she asked, clearly amused. But curiosity got the better of her. She leaned forward, her eyes following the watch as it swung back and forth, back and forth, catching the dim candlelight.

• “You will love me,” Kazeem intoned, his voice deep and slow. “You will marry me. You will obey me forever.” His words filled the small room like invisible smoke, crawling into her ears, into her mind. Slowly, Vanessa’s giggles died. Her lips parted slightly. Her eyes softened as if melting.

• Then it happened—the moment Kazeem had prayed for. Vanessa whispered, almost mechanically, “Yes… Kazimondo. I will be yours. Forever.” Her voice sounded both tender and eerie, as if her will had been snatched away.

• Kazeem nearly screamed for joy. He had done it! He had hypnotized himself into wealth, hypnotized his way into Banana Island. By morning, word spread through the street like wildfire. The boys at the beer parlor mocked and admired him all at once:
  “Kazimondo don hammer!”
  “Na whale he catch this time, no be tilapia!”
  “E go chop life for Banana Island now o!”

• The wedding was rushed, noisy, and filled with gossiping neighbors. Kazeem boasted, grinning from ear to ear, already imagining first-class flights and mansions with swimming pools. That night, he slept beside Vanessa with pride swelling in his chest. Little did he know, the magic he had unleashed was not just binding her—it was binding him. And not all bindings lead to paradise.

• 👉 To be continued in Episode 3 – The Great Unveiling