A Helping Hand

Victor was an average college guy, standing at an amazing 5"2., he had few friends, had a few unwanted pounds, and was overall pretty sloppy. He grew annoyed of being the way he was, so he enlisted the help of his friend, Fae.

Fea was the complete opposite of Victor: tall, sexy, fit, and popular. They had been friends since elementary, and Victor even developed a crush on her, but he knew he could never win her affection.

This is when he decided to change that. At first, he tried small things like walking each day and eating less, but even that was a challenge for him.

It was that day when he stormed back home after a walk, in which he ended up buying take out for dinner when his new life had just begun.

"Damn it! I hate this! I can't stop buying fast food!"

Victor said as he sunk into his couch. He ripped open his greasy meal and angrily ate.

"This sucks..." he said in-between bites."How do I even start? I've done everything I can think of, but it's still not working. Maybe I should just quit..."

Feeling the tears start to well up, Victor held them back and sighed. He glanced at the piles of books on his coffee table and set down his food.

"I'm motivated and willing; I just can't stop..." Mumbled Victor as he pulled up the books. Upon moving a couple of books around, an envelope gently fell to the ground.

"Huh, missed this one somehow."

Victor picked up the envelope and noticed a faint outline of an item inside. He checked for any addresses but found none.

"Probably someones old letter from when they borrowed the book... I don't think they'll mind if I take a peak."

With his greasy fingers, he opened the envelope and found inside a gold ring.

"Whoa, is this real gold?" He thumbed the ring before placing it down and found a letter inside.

He opened the letter and read out loud.

"The incredible HYPNO-RING! A mystical item that allows the GIFTED to control whomever they please. Simply slip the ring on and snap your fingers with a person in sight to gain control of them. Command every aspect of their life as you demand!

WARNING: Ring will permanently bond to user upon wearing said ring."

"Is this really a hypnosis ring?" Looking it over, he looked down his protruding belly when a thought formed.

If this is really a hypnosis ring, then maybe...

Wiping his hands off, he holds the ring up to his finger and attempts to slid it on. He tried many times, trying his different fingers and even his toes but to no avail.

"Damn it! Curse these fat fingers!""

He slammed the ring down on the coffee table and angrily ate his food when the doorbell rang. He went to open the door, and standing in all her glamour was Fae. Her fiery red hair gleamed in the sunshine, dancing in the winds like fire. Despite seeing her every day for most of his life, he was still awestruck by her beauty.

"Hey Vicky! I came by to see how your weight loss is working out!"

Snapping out of his trance, Victor grumbled and cringed as he heard his nickname. "It's going okay, I guess..."

Barging in, Fea pushed past Victor and gasped. Spotting the fast food on the coffee table, she turned to face Victor, who was hiding his face. Sighing, she gingerly picked up the food, whispering gross under her breath as she tossed the greasy mess in the trash.

Shutting the door, Victor followed her into the kitchen as his embarrassment grew. After seeing her toss the food away, she washed her hands and applied a nicely scented lotion. As she did, she faced Victor.

"Vickyyyy, I thought you stopped eating fast food and were exercising. Is something wrong?"

Having to look up to her, he met her gaze and spoke.

"You don't get it. I'm trying, but I get so hungry, and I don't know where to really start. I've been walking around to the store but that's about it."

"Aww, Vicky... If you need a hand, I'm always here." Fae said as she hugged the dejected man.

Feeling the genuine support from Fae, Victor managed to get his spirits up.

"Thanks, Fae. I feel much better now. You know I have all these books, but I haven't had much luck lately. I wish I could be like you. Healthy, attractive, and confident." Victor said as they went back to the living room. With an aw and a quick hug, Fae looked over the covers of the book before yawning.

"Books? Like, seriously Vicky, how old are you? Books aren't going to help you. You should watch some videos or go to the gym. Oh! You should totally go with me next time! I have, like, the best instructor!"

Victor shrugged, organizing the books when, unknown to him, he knocked over the ring. Fae spotted the ring and picked it up in awe.

"I don't know, Fae. That seems to be a high hurdle for me. Plus, don't you do yoga and girly exercises?"

Slipping the ring on out of curiosity, Fae admired the beautiful gold ring and responded.

"Well, you don't get a figure like mine without the right exercise. And for your information, the exercises I take are good for losing weight so why not join?" Fae said as she took multiple pictures of the ring.

After organizing the books, Victor finally noticed the ring missing. He looked for a bit until he noticed Fae taking pictures of her well manicured hands.

"Oh, you found the ring, Fae. Thanks."

"Is this your ring, Vicky? This is really nice and cute. Where'd you get it?"

"I found it tucked away in one of these books. It's supposed to be a hypnosis ring that lets you control people with just a snap."

"Oh really? Hmm, let's see then."

*SNAP*

As Victor finishes his sentences about the ring, he becomes motionless and expressionless. Waving her hands in front of the doll like Victor, Fae realizes the ring is real.

"Wow! Hmm, can you get me a bottle of water from the fridge, please?"

On command, Victor heads back to the kitchen and grabs a bottle of water for Fae. After getting the bottle open and taking a quick swig, Fae wanted to push a little bit further.

"Well, you could have faked that Vicky. I know! Sit still, so I can do your makeup! You have such a cute face!"

Sitting down on the couch, Victor was helpless as Fea opened her purse and pulled out her supplies. Within minutes, the pale faced complexion of Victor was covered with expertly done makeup. Taking a few pictures before bursting into laughter, Fae was in awe of the ring.

"Okay, that was fun, but I think it's time you wake up, Vicky.

*SNAP*

Blinking his eyes, Victor felt a haze in his head like he just woke up.

"Whoa, what just happened?"

"Hehe, I hypnotized you, duh! This ring is, like, awesome. I can't take it off, though, but it's cute, so whatever."

Snapping out of his haze, Victor sat down and rubbed his temples.

"Wait. Does It work for you? I couldn't even get it on."

Fae sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. A gentle smile resting on her face, a glint of joy reflecting in her eye.

"I think I have an idea, Vicky. You said you're having trouble finding motivation to lose weight, right? Well, leave it to me."

Looking up at her, he managed to piece together what she meant.

"Wait, are you going to hypnotize me to work out? Are you sure that's safe?"

"Oh relax, Vicky. It's just hypnosis! What could go wrong?"

Victor rubbed his neck and looked down at his body. Fear, disgust, anger, and sadness churned inside his heart, making him grimace. He felt his eyes grow wet as he silently sobbed

Sensing his worries, Fae embraced Victor and stroked his hair.

"I don't like seeing you like this, Vicky. Let's give it a try, at least?"

Wiping away his tears, Victor nodded, and Fae stood up.

"Okay, you ready then? We'll start small. I'll make it so you won't eat any fast food for 1 week and you'll want healthy food, okay?"

"Right, that sounds good. I don't really know how to cook or eat right, so maybe you can give me pointers as you hypnotize me?"

"Oh, that's a good idea! I have a ton of healthy and delicious recipes! They're great for maintaining my figure! I'll do that!"

Holding her fingers in a snapping position, Fae gives a thumbs up her other hand as does Victor.

"Okay, let's start!"