Lincoln arrived in the living room when his mother, Rita Loud, was sitting on the couch. She was fiddling with the remote trying to get their new television to work. It was one of those smart TVs with access to streaming services. She had been trying to figure out how to get it to regular television. She knew her sons was good with video games, so maybe he might be able to help. She sees her only son and says,
"Oh, sweetie, thanks for coming down. I would have called Lisa, but she went to the park with Darcy." Lincoln sat down next to his mother and said,
"No problem, Mom. I was just talking with Lynn. She was mad that Lisa ditched her to go play with her friend and couldn't help her with homework." The Loud matriarch shook her head and said,
"That girl. I told her that she had to get better grades if she wanted to stay in sports. There may be athletic scholarships for college, but she still needs to learn to use her head if she wants a good future. Also, Lisa finally has a friend who is not a robot; if she wants to spend time with them, I'm all for it." Lincoln agrees,
"Yeah. Lisa says she pays the bills; she could use a day off being a regular 4-year-old." The mother looks away a little ashamed, pulling the collar of her shirt, and replies,
"Yeah, math was never my strong suit." Rita then changes the subject saying, "So, anyway, do you think you can help me with the TV?" Lincoln, waiting for the right opportunity, responds,
"Sure, I guess I could try. What're you trying to do?" Rita hands the remote to her son and says,
"I'm on the internet, trying to find a video channel with beauty tips." Lincoln, a little perplexed, asks,
"Why do you need beauty tips? You're already pretty. And why don't you just use your laptop?" Counting off with her fingers, his mom says,
"First, thank you sweetie, that's very nice of you to say. Second, I'm not using my laptop because I want to practice how to use the new TV, "she then continues embarrassed," and I accidently spilled coffee on my laptop, and until Lisa comes home, I can't fix it." Lincoln shrugs his shoulders and says,
"Fair enough, but you still didn't answer my first question." The mother of eleven sighs as she confides in her son,
"Lincoln, I've been happily married to your father for over 20 years and have had eleven wonderful children." She tussles her son's white hair as she says that last statement. She continues, "I suppose I'm just worried that one day your father won't be interested in me anymore. I been having some nightmares the last few nights that he left me for a younger woman, and you all loved her more than me. I know I'm thinking crazy, but I just thought it wouldn't hurt to get some makeup tips to look more pretty for your dad." Rita put her head in her hands, looking depressed. Lincoln, understanding his mother's feelings gives her a hug and tells her,
"Mom, that's crazy. Dad loves you. All of the girls love you. And I love you, too. Even though you and dad have made mistakes, you try and learn from them, and you always try to make time for all of us. None of us are going to leave you. We all love our mom, just the way she is." Rita smiles at her son's sincerity, hugs him back and says,
"Thank you, Lincoln. You're a good son. And I am sorry about what has happened in the past; like with the supermarket and the 'you-know-what' incident."
"I know." The man with a plan has an inspiration, to help his mom and get another maid. They separate and he says, "Hey mom, I think I could help you out with your nightmares. Have you heard of hypnosis?" Rita thinks and answers,
"Well, admittedly, I had a bit of a fear of blood when I was younger, and I went to a medical hypnotist to get over that fear. It actually helped me get the job as a dental assistant since there would be bleeding gums there. Why do you ask?" Lincoln tells her,
"I've sort of been developing a talent for it. I used it earlier on Lynn to help her study and I helped Lisa be more like, for lack of a better term, a regular kid." Rita quizzically responds,
"Is that why she seemed so happy when she left the house? And wasn't using her usual vocabulary?" Lincoln nods his head and says,
"Yeah, she said she wanted a break from being smart and I helped her. Don't worry, I made sure that she can go back to being her genius self whenever she wants."
"That's good, and if it ends up helping Junior get her grades up, I'm all for it." Rita then whispers, "Maybe you could do that for your sister, Leni, too. I love her, but some of her grades could use some help as well." Lincoln replies,
"I could if she asks. Now, do you trust me?" Rita thinks for a moment and says,
"Well, I suppose I could give it a try. If anything, I could use a nap." The Loud mom laughs a little and asks, "Okay so what do I need to do?" Lincoln tells her,
"Just sit back on the couch, get comfortable, and I'll start the video. I have it saved on my phone." Lincoln then connects to the smart TV's Wi-Fi and starts the program. A spiral appeared on the television screen and soft, relaxing music begins to play. "Just stare into the spiral, listen to the music, and fall deeper."
As Rita is watching the television, her eyelids begin to feel heavy. The subliminals in the music are embedding themselves in her mind. She can't look away, and she doesn't want to. Being a mother of 11 children, she was exhausted, and it made it all the easier for her to fall under the spell of the spiral screen. After a few minutes had passed, Rita smiles in pure bliss. Her mind is now open to suggestions. Lincoln begins his work, first addressing his mother's nightmares.
"Mom, do you hear me?" His mother responds in blissful monotone,
"Yes, Master Lincoln. I can hear you and I obey." Lincoln smiled at the successful induction. He continues, "Now mom, first things first. You will listen to and do anything I command. Also, everything I say is the absolute truth. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master Lincoln. I will do as you command. Everything you say is the truth."
"Good. Now Mom, I want you to listen to me. Your family loves you. Your husband loves you and your children all love and care about you. You will never have to worry about dad leaving you. You will no longer have nightmares about dad cheating on you or any of your children abandoning you." Rita smiles, her mind at peace, and says,
"Yes, Master Lincoln. My family loves me, and I shouldn't be afraid of being alone." Lincoln, happy that he helped his mom, smiles and says,
"Good job, mom. Accepting this truth makes you feel so happy and relaxed."
"Yes. Happy and relaxed." As the only son is about to continue, the front door opens. Lincoln was in a slight panic, only to breathe a sigh of relief when he sees it is just Lisa, returning home from her playdate with Darcy. She politely yells,
"I'm home!" Lisa, still in her 'Little Lisa' state, sees her older brother and runs to give him a hug. She then says,
"Hi, big brother! I had so much fun with Darcy. We played tag, went on the swings, and ... what's up with mommy?" Lisa noticed how their mother was blankly staring at the tv." She then turns to look at the television herself and starts to fall under again. Lincoln lightly shakes her awake and says,
"Smarty-Pants Lisa Time." Lisa then blinks a few times, looks at Lincoln, and responds,
"I see you have entranced our mother into your servitude as well." Lincoln lightly chuckles and asks,
"Did you fun with Darcy, Lisa?" The glasses-wearing girl nods her head and replies,
"Indeed. Just being able to not think critically about everything was extremely liberating. I haven't had that much fun since Lori threw that party and I gorged myself on chocolate fondue." Lisa turns to their mother and asks, "So, out of scientific curiosity, how did you end up doing this to our female parental unit?"
Lincoln then explained to Lisa what their mother was going through, the nightmares and the self-doubt that plagued the matriarch. Lisa seems to agree that their mother did need this hypnosis session. At the very least, she needed to destress and feel loved. Lincoln then asks Lisa if she could help him with something and agrees after hearing Lincoln's plan. Based off of something he saw in a comic book, the white-haired boy wants Lisa to make a set of bracelets that will instantly put sisters in their maid uniforms when they press a secret button. Lisa believed that although the idea was pure science-fiction, the idea for the technology could have other uses.
First, Lincoln makes Rita accept that her daughters wearing maid outfits and serving Lincoln is perfectly normal. After all, he is the only boy in the house, and they should treat him with respect. Lincoln gives his mother a small mental makeover. He sets up triggers for his mother and from now on, while in trance or out of trance, she will see herself as a confident, strong, and, most importantly, beautiful and young woman.
He borrows Lisa's compact mirror and has his mother look into it. In her entranced state as a mother maid, Rita sees herself in her 20s again. She is wearing a salmon pink maid uniform and spirals have taken over her eyes. Grateful for this, Rita turns to her son/master and happily says,
"Thank you, Master Lincoln, for making me so beautiful. I swear from this day forward, I will happily serve you as your loving motherly maid. I will be in charge of all your other maids and assign their duties when you are not present, and we are all in this blissful trance." Lincoln nods his head and says,
"Good girl, Mom and remember to play the music file I'll send you later for dad to listen to in his sleep. You know what it is for, right?"
"Yes, Master. The music is so your father will accept his wife and daughters as family maids and will have no problems with us wearing our uniforms or questions about why we are like this."
Lincoln, happy with his work, then orders his mother to go to her room and lie down on her bed for a short nap. When she wakes up, she is to have no memory of becoming her son's maid but will remember all of the truths he told her earlier about her family's love and loyalty for her. Lincoln snaps his fingers and Rita returns the compact mirror to Lisa. She then leaves the living room to go follow her new master's orders. Lincoln then turns to the TV to turn off the Hypnosis Program and Lisa speaks to him.
"I'd suppose I should get started on those uniform bracelets you have suggested. Other than your inane fantasies, the idea does have other societal applications. Companies and restaurants could save a lot of money on uniforms and laundry. They should sell very well, and it would earn more income for our family." Lincoln gives Lisa a side hug and says,
"Thank Lise. And remember, we keep all this a secret from the others until I get everyone else under control."
"If we are being completely honest with each other, I highly doubt you will be able to keep all of these shenanigans up for long. Even if you alter everyone's reasoning to accept your desires, statistically, something is bound to go wrong in time." Lincoln confidently pats his little genius sister on the head and says,
"Don't worry, Lisa. You can always count on the Man with the Plan. Everyone is going to be happy as long as they listen to me." Lisa rolls her eyes and is about to go to her room when she and Lincoln hear a voice say,
"Yes, Master Lincoln. I hear and I obey." Lincoln and Lisa turned their heads to the stairway leading to their bedrooms and see Leni Loud at the bottom, entranced by the hypnosis program Lincoln left on the television earlier. Lincoln was silent, and then spoke to his brainy little sister,
"This wasn't part of the plan yet."