Down the rabbit hole...

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My head twitch to the left simultaneously as my right arm flung in front of my face. I had little control of my body. A faint moan escaped my lips.

I heard laughter; it was so loud and had been going on for quite some time. My stomach was cramping and my face was tight. Whilst looking for the culprit the laughter ceased, I looked back toward my sister and her amused face… was that me?

<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Was <em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I laughing?

Yes.<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">

Her face was so pretty, so smooth. I had to touch her skin. I grasped at her arm feeding off her warmth and touched my cheek to hers.

<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You’re so pretty

Rubbing my face against her I felt pure ecstasy, warmth and love. I closed my eyes to limit the distraction from my other senses. Earth colours swirled in my mind in tune with my motions, sighing with pleasure I allowed my lids to lift.

Who are these people? Where did they come from? They were everywhere, disguised as a group tour, but I knew this was not the case. I could feel them looking at me, judging me without my permission.

So close… so close.

I felt uncomfortable and tried to hide behind my sister’s arm, however every time I reassessed the situation they had crept closer, surely they were preparing something disastrous against me. Suddenly they had moved on. Maybe they would come back… maybe they… hmmmmmm… her face is so pretty, I have to touch it.

No! Don’t touch me! Her proximity is frustrating. Ugh, why does she sit so close to me? Why is my sister so infuriating? I push myself away and look around. Everyone here is pissing me off. Did he look at me? Fuck him! I hate him so much. I need a walk, to stretch my legs. How long have I been sitting here anyway?

My head spins as I stand and I take a moment to ensure I won’t fall. I stride with purpose to nowhere in particular, I turn and my fisheye vision shows the security of the park bench is far away. I lose all depth perception and my world quivers and shakes with each step as I struggle to return. I need to will myself. You will be safe. You can make it. Don’t stop now. I feel fear away from the park bench. I need the park bench.

I’m so tired; the walk was a bad idea. I need to rest. I lie down and shut my eyes.

The suns warmth and murmuring voices eventually wake me up. Andrea sits with her face to the sun, her eyes closed. As I rise, she turns to face me, I feel as she is waiting for me to do something. I begin to ask her a question then hesitate, the look on her face….

<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">You already know what I am going to ask, don’t you?

Yes.

<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Was it a dream?

No.

<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How many times has this happened?

Four

The process is exhausting; the cycles had been going on for almost 5 hours.

I try to get a grasp on my reality. I do my best to distinguish what was real and not. I focus all I can on staying alert, but before too long I feel the familiar wave of euphoria sweep over me. I try to cling to Andrea to take hold of my mind, but slowly my head rolls and my arms convulse. In a flash I am laughing again.

***

We opened the paper bag and studied the container, it was clear plastic with an orange cartoon character, in print were the instructions not to consume more than a box per day, and to also read the instruction leaflet before opening.

There was no leaflet.

We ripped open the bag and halved the contents into our palms. The sales clerk had boasted that our selected variety were the strongest on offer, seeing as we were sharing we thought it right to get the strongest. Besides, surely these are a gimmick aimed at tourist, surely these cannot be purchased from a corner store.

The taste was foul and the soon all that remained in my mouth was gritty and impossibly, which refused to be swallowed. The look on our faces must have been comical as we struggled with our beers to assist with the wash down.

After a few minutes, we spat the residue on the pavement and tried to distract each other from the vile aftertaste.

<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I doubt anything will happen.

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