Page 51 of Little Dolls

Clara sat in the recliner Dr. Chan indicated, but her fearful eyes remained glued to him, and she refused to release her grip on his hand. Taking note of that, Dr. Chan pulled up a chair for him so he could sit beside Clara, then spread a blanket over her and took a seat in the armchair beside the recliner.

“I remember that we were in an attic; it was cold, and I was hungry,” Clara said.

“Do you remember the abduction itself?”

“Yes.”

“What's the last thing you remember clearly?”

“I was petting a dog, and complaining that my mom wouldn’t let me have one.” Clara’s hand reflexively squeezed his as she battled her guilt. “Then I fell asleep.”

“Okay, I want you to relax now. I know this is a stressful situation, but if this is going to work, then you need to want it to work. Do you, Clara?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now a little bit about hypnosis: It’s like being in a heavily meditative state. You’ll be able to hear what’s happening around you, but I’ll instruct you that any sounds just help to make you relax further. I want you to just focus on my voice. Now we may or may not make progress today. Since this is your first time, you might find it difficult to relax sufficiently. And even if you do, that’s no guarantee that you're going to remember anything. If we don’t make any progress today, we’ll keep working at it. Hypnosis is a skill, and like any other skill, you get better at it the more you do it. It’s also important that you're prepared for what you might remember. Sometimes with some distance, traumatic memories that your brain had blocked as a survival mechanism can come back. Are you okay with that?”

“They're already starting to come back. In my dreams. Only I can't see them properly. It’s like they're there, only all foggy and unclear,” Clara admitted.

“Well, hopefully, today we can help to make them clearer. I'm going to talk you through some relaxation techniques, and then I'm going to lead you back to what you do remember, and we’ll see how we go from there. Do you have any questions before we begin?”

“Am I going to remember everything I tell you? I mean when I wake up again?” Clara asked.

“Yes, you are.”

Clara absorbed this, looking distinctly disturbed. “You don’t have to do this, Clara,” Jonathon told her. “If you're not ready, that’s okay.”

“No, I want to do it. Katie and Jimmy are still alive. Tommy knew how to find our kidnappers, so I must, too.”

“Okay then, are you ready?”

Drawing in a long, deep breath, she replied, “Ready.”

“All right, I want you to close your eyes and let yourself relax. If it helps, you can picture yourself someplace that is calming—otherwise, just clear your mind. I'm going to count down from ten, and I want you to imagine relaxing each part of your body, starting with your head, and working down to your feet.” Dr. Chan’s voice had become calm and soothing. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

Clara’s hand had gone limp in his, and Jonathon assumed she’d gone under.

“Clara, can you hear me?” Dr. Chan asked.

“Yes,” her voice was heavy, kind of sleepy.

“Clara, you're walking down a long hall,” Dr. Chan instructed. “On either side of you are doors. I want you to find the door with the number six on it. When you open that door, you're going to be six years old again. Have you found the door, Clara?”

“Yes.”

“Did you walk through it?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you?”

“The supermarket, there’s an old lady with a dog. I'm petting the dog. Then I'm asleep.”

“Now you’ve woken up, Clara. Where are you?”

Clara’s forehead crinkled, and Jonathon thought she wasn't going to remember, but then she spoke. “I'm in an attic.”

“Is it light or dark?”

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