The Hypnotist

. 

It was entertainment night at the Old Peoples' Home

and Claude, the hypnotist, declared,

"I'm here to put you into a trance.
I intend to hypnotize each and every member of the audience."

The excitement was palpable as Claude withdrew a beautiful, antique watch from his coat pocket.

"I want you each to keep your eye on this antique watch.
It's a very special watch.  It's been in my family for six generations."

He began to swing the watch gently back and forth while quietly chanting,
"Watch the watch,

watch the watch,

watch the watch..."

The crowd became mesmerized as the watch swayed back and forth,
back and forth,

back and forth,

light gleaming off its polished surface.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes followed the swaying watch until,

suddenly, it slipped from the hypnotist's fingers and fell to the floor,

breaking into a hundred pieces.

"S..t !" said the hypnotist.

It took three days to clean up the Old Peoples' Home

Claude was never invited back