Just another day. Just another ordinary day. Nothing exceptionally phenomenal or bleak, just normal. Always was, always has been. Something did spark my interest earlier that morning, however. A guy in my class, possibly Jeremy? The “who” wasn’t important. It’s the where that truly grasped my attention. For you see, what if I told you there’s a place that could take you away from all these ordinary days and give you something more? Something worth while! That’s exactly what Jeremy told me. A place where worry ceased to exist and by some miracle, fantasies of better days would become a reality. Now, this information couldn’t just be shared with anyone. Someone who truly longed for this needed to earn it. However, the steps required to achieve access to this land weren’t particularly difficult. For starters, it all begins with 2:43 A.M.
Why this time was so important for accessing this other plane of existence was never clearly specified by Jeremy. I was simply told it “had its reasons” and that if I was serious about this, I’d stop asking trivial questions. And what was I going to do, argue? Anything to exit my constant state of gloom was what I was willing to do. After all, a world of wonders awaited me. How could I turn such an offer down?
Jeremy also advised me to prepare some tea leaves he’d given me during lunch. Besides boiling ramen, steeping tea was my only other “cooking” specialty. If you can even call it that. This assortment of greens would help me “reach paradise”, at least in Jeremy’s words. He really went on and on about the leaves. But if it’s what it took to get to this heaven, I wasn’t going to fight it. The next step was to wait until 2:42 A.M. That was when I was instructed to take the first sip. What happened next was simply labeled as inexplicable but a sign of progress within the ritual.
The ringing.
“Keep count of how many seconds pass before 2:43.” This is how long I was to wait before taking each sip until 3 A.M. With 2:43 A.M. came that dreaded ringing. It was only supposed to last a minute. That’s what Jeremy said, but it just kept going. I could barely focus on how many seconds had gone by at around 2:46. Had it only been 3 minutes and I’d already jeopardized my chances? I told myself to trust my gut with whatever number I left off with, trusting that I’d been as accurate as possible beforehand. After how much Jeremy had stressed keeping the time in mind, I could only hope I was correct.
“58…59…2:47.”
It continued like this for what felt like an eternity. However, with each sip, the ringing dimmed and I felt myself drifting away. It was just like what Jeremy said would happen. I knew I could trust him! I’d never really been around anyone I could trust as far as I could remember. At this point , I was ready to face whatever carefree land I was entering. But wait, something wasn’t right. It was 3 A.M., but I was still in my bedroom. Could it be, I maybe miscounted by a few seconds? I’m sure it was nothing. Jeremy was probably just super hyped someone had the same ideals as him in mind. All of that strict talk regarding the rules about counting were probably just so I could enter first try. Right?
Then it hit me.
The sky was red. Blood red.
I don’t remember ever hearing of a tea that causes you to see pitch black clouds and crimson-colored skies. It’s probably just some whacko hallucination. “Inexplicable”, as Jeremy had called the whole experience. Perhaps the fact that is was 3 A.M. also aided in my dazed state. What better to do than shrug it off with some sleep? Like it ever killed anyone. Although now, I do wish I could’ve been the first. As I closed my eyes, I heard a faint sound. Ringing. Followed by what?
Jeremy’s voice.
“Maybe count sheep instead. Time is always hard to keep track of anyway.”
I tried opening my eyes, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t move anything. It then felt as though I was carried off, but my consciousness was too hazy to recap how long. After a while, I was finally laid back down. By some miracle, I was able to open my eyes again. A basement of some sort? And who’s that? My eyes widened as the realization set in. It was Jeremy, casually strolling down the creaky basement steps. The smile on his face was unforgettable.
“Hope you enjoyed those “tea” leaves.”
The cackle produced by the face I’d once trusted rumbled through my ears.
“Don’t worry, you’ll have everything you need down here. After all, isn’t that what you wanted?”
I glanced over at a wall as Jeremy made me eat my words. Maybe I had wanted it easier, but not like this. I just wanted somewhere it felt like I could abandon my issues just for a while. I suppose Jeremy felt he could solve my problems with one huge one. Through my panic, I noticed clouds painted on the wall I so blankly stared at. A golden archway also seemed to be painted between masses of condensation. Wait, could this be?
“Welcome to Heaven.”
The last thing I heard after the basement door slammed may have been the most comforting thing the basement had to offer. Silence, only being broken by the one thing left I knew. Soft ringing. With my fate established and body still very paralyzed, I conjured up the only plan of escape I could.
Start counting.