It was entertainment night at the senior center and the Amazing Claude was topping the bill. People came to the senior center from miles around to see the famed hypnotist do his stuff.

As Amazing Claude went to the front of the meeting room, he announced, "Unlike most hypnotists who invite two or three people up here to be put into a trance, I intend to hypnotize each and every valued, Senior-citizen, AARP -card-carrying member of the audience."

The excitement was almost electric as he withdrew a beautiful antique pocket watch from his coat.

"I want you each to keep your eye on this antique watch. It's a very special watch that'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, light gleaming off its polished surface. Hundreds of pairs of eyes followed the swaying watch.

"Snap!" said Claude. Two hundred pairs of gnarled old fingers snapped in unison.

"Giggle!" said Claude. Two hundred old mouths cackled like schoolkids in unison.

"Touch Your Nose!" said Claude. Two hundred index fingers touched two hundred old noses in unison.

Suddenly, the watch slipped from the hypnotist's fingers and fell to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces.

"SH!T!" yelled the Amazing Claude.

It took three weeks to clean up that senior center.