“Who in their right mind would pick up a closing shift on Halloween?” Daniel said, shaking his head over a slowly rising stack of rolled silverware.
“I guess our dumb asses” I replied, glancing up from my own side work, which on this particular night happened to be polishing the “fine” forks and knives which I would then pass over to him before they were rolled in linens and piled neatly. We were at the host stand near the front entrance of the mom and pop Italian restaurant we worked at.
“Yeah, that checks out” Daniel said through a light chuckle, head still down focused on his task, “but hey as soon as this is done we are GON-ZO.”
“Mhmm, yessir”, I replied, peering up and out through the glass double-doors and into the night, which overlooked an essentially empty parking lot. “What an absolute bust, though. How many tables did you even have?”
“Literally two all night,” Daniel responded with a resentful shrug. “Won’t even be enough for gas and beer.”
“Lucky! I had one table. ALL. NIGHT!” I said with playful aggression. “So I actually have to choose between gas and beer!” We both laughed.
“Well that’d be an easy choice for me dawg” Daniel replied, reaching down into his black server’s apron and pulling out and ice cold bottle of Peroni and an opener.
“Duuuuuude come on, the bar does inventory literally tomorrow.” I said, smiling and shaking my head.
“It’s called shrinkage, bro. Look it up”, Daniel replied, peeling off the top of the bottle and turning it up into a big swig. “AND, we’re the only ones here. AND ALSO, have you ever been to the back of house any time after 4 PM?”
“Eh, not a bad point.” I said. He was right. The kitchen guys here and also at every other restaurant I had worked at were basically hammered for their entire shift.
“You pregaming a party or something?”
“Well,” Daniel replied, “wouldn’t really call it a party really. Just got a buddy coming to the apartment. We’ll probably just throw down and play some Five Nights at Freddys or something dumb like that. What about you? You got something?”
I paused. No. I didn’t have anything. Ever since I graduated college and moved back in with my parents, I had basically just worked and slept. I left school over a year ago and had retained almost zero social skills. I wasn’t depressed or anything, but I just didn’t really have any friends here back home. This was small town Missouri. I had moved here during high school, and everyone had already chosen their circles. There was no room for a plus one anywhere, so I was forced to find comfort in myself, and became a bit of a loner. College was fantastic for me, having been part of several clubs and meeting lifelong friends, but all of those friends were handfuls of states away now.
“Eh, I don’t know. Couple of options, not sure which one I’ll pick. Might float around a couple parties honestly” I lied blatantly. My plan was to go home and help my parents pass out candy to the neighborhood kids. Not the worst thing in the world, by far, but not what a young adult should be doing on Halloween. My parents knew that too. I’ll see their concerned expressions through their masks tonight like I did last year.
“I mean, dude, I know we’ve like never hung out outside of work and all, but you know you’re always welcome to swing by anytime man.” Daniel kindly replied, smiling and taking another gulp of his stolen beer, “may not be a wild rager tonight but hey, you’re more than invited if you wanna roll through.” I nodded and smiled back. Hmm. Maybe I should take a stab at socializing again. Who knows, maybe it would even be fun. I could already hear my parents relieved voices on the phone as I informed them that I, yes, the loneliest guy in town, would be attending a Halloween party with other people of my same age. They would be absolutely thrilled, and, honestly, so would I.
“Man thanks for the invite. I’ll see what I can do, and I’ll try and stop by for sure!” I replied, trying to conceal my excitement.
“Dope, dope, I’ll text you the addy” Daniel shot back. All of the employees had each other’s numbers due to group texts with the managers and whatnot. He pulled his phone out and pounded his thumbs on it for a moment. By the time he set his phone back down I felt a tell-tale jolt coming from my own apron. We nodded at each other, and continued in wrapping up our closing work.
After about ten minutes we were both at the bar cashing out our tips and gathering our things, ready to forget about the miserably slow restaurant and waste of a half of one of the best nights of the year. I counted my measly money and stopped by the bathroom. By the time I got out I heard Daniel at the front door talking on the phone excitedly, almost manic. He was a big guy, about six foot three and probably two hundred and fifty pounds, with dark hair and a thick, coarse beard. However, in this moment, he may as well have been a three year old girl on Christmas morning.
“DUDE. NO. ACTUAL. WAY!! YOU GOT IT?!!! HOW??” Daniel yelled, eyes flown open and jaw dropped as he pressed the phone to his ear and listened to the other end of the line for a moment. He laughed loudly. “Woahhhh man I can’t believe he’d let you have some! This is gonna be sooooo awesome bro.” Another pause. “Yeah man I’m just about to lock up the restaurant and then I’m a speeding bullet to ya dude!” He looked over at me and noticed how curiously I was eavesdropping. “Oh yeah dude by the way,” he continued, “I got a buddy from work here who may swing by as well, is that cool? I don’t know if he’ll want any but like how much is there?” Another moment of silence passed before Daniel looked at me again and gave a big thumbs up. “Sweeeeeeet sweet dude I’ll let him know. Alright buddy I’ll be home in a few. See ya!” He hung up and gave a “WOO!!” That rang through the entirely of the dark, empty restaurant.
“Now what on earth was that all about?” I said with a laugh, my face contorting into a very puzzled look.
“Okay okay okay, so.” Daniel said before taking a big breath. “Have you……ever done………..psychedelics?” He gave me an anxious, toothy grin.
“I, uh…” I started, trying to think of what I would say next. In college I had tried to expand my horizons a bit, but to me that horizon stopped at the edge of beer and a little pot. I had never tried any real drugs, and didn’t even really like pot and didn’t really drink a whole lot either. I wanted to match Daniel’s enthusiasm, however. Tonight I was going to have fun, and to do that I had to try and be as hyped up as those around me. I wanted whoever I was partying with to see me as one of them.
“Uh…yeah man! I did some shrooms and stuff in college!” I answered. Daniel walked closer to me and gave me a strong, almost painful high five.
“Hell yeah!” He roared. “So. My buddy’s brother just got back from South America, right? He was down there on some kind of soul searching cleanse or whatever. WELL. He met up with some dudes down there who like go out into the jungle and find plants and frogs and stuff that make you high and hallucinate and stuff, right?”
“Okay woah?” I said, listening intently to this already outrageous story.
“Yeah,” Daniel continued, “so he meets these dudes and they tell him they’ve found something that they’ve never seen before, like this weird little plant, and that it’s the wiiiiildest trip you can imagine! Like you just mix the whole plant into water and let it soak and then drink it and then BAM!” He slapped his hands together for effect, “Wave. After. Wave, of the most out of this world visions you can imagine! His brother said it was like a miracle. He said he went to heaven and met angels and shook hands with God and stuff! Just CRAZY!!” I stood, eyes wide and mouth down turned, taking all of this information in.
“Sooo I’m guessing he gave some to your buddy?” I said.
Daniel nodded. “Dude. Yes. Told him it would make for the perfect Halloween. And apparently one little plant is enough to get like fifty people tripped, so there is plenty to go around. What do you say, man? You IN??” He answered with a big goofy smile.
“Well, I…uh” I started. Boy. I had always been curious about hallucinogens. Everyone I knew who had taken them seemed to really enjoy the out of body, personal, beautiful experience of it. They always seemed to learn something deep about themselves, too. Like life changing epiphanies and whatnot. I enjoyed being in control of myself though. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. Wait, no. I was going to have fun. I was going to be young and adventurous tonight. If this is what it takes, then so be it. “That, uh, that sounds like a damn blast, man. Count me in!” I exclaimed. Daniel hollered again and gave me another stinging, large palmed high five.
“Awesome dude!! Well, I’m headed there now if you just wanna follow me!” He said with the vigor and pep of a summer camp counselor.
“Alright, sounds good!” I replied, as he held the door open for me before stepping through himself, locking it behind him. We walked to our cars, which were parked beside each other in the row furthest away from he restaurant. The night was starless and bearing down heavily on us.
“Man, it really feels like Halloween, ya know?” Daniel said, and I nodded in agreement.
“Dude yeah, there’s definitely just something in the air.” I replied, and we both giggled. He opened his driver side door.
“Okay buddy, well, just follow me! I’ll see ya there.” He said to me before hopping into his car. “Sounds good, see ya there!” I replied happily before getting into my own car. He cranked the engine and sat a moment before backing out and pulling away slowly, and so I did the same.
We turned out of the parking lot and onto the main thoroughfare of our little town where our workplace resided. It was about ten o’clock, and there wasn’t a sign of life anywhere. Not that there ever really was in this sleepy little place we called home. The downtown was decorated seasonally though, and so we passed by light poles dressed in tapestries, featuring pumpkins and scarecrows and all of the beloved Halloween symbols. Storefronts had hay bales and jack o lanterns and skeletons displayed. I looked as I drove by. I was actually really excited for tonight like I hadn’t been in years. The nostalgia of these traditional decorations mixed with the freshness of a promising new social event bubbled within me, escaping in a huge smile. I kept following him out of downtown and onto side streets for a few minutes. In my joyous stupor I suddenly realized I hadn’t told my parents my plans. They were probably beginning to worry. I got my phone out and dialed them, and they picked up after the first ring.
“Hello?” My mom answered, her voice a little concerned.
“Hey mom! Um, sorry, just wanted to let y’all know what I’m up to tonight!” I told her, excited to announce my plans.
“What you’re up to? You mean you’re not coming home?” She responded curiously but not suspiciously.
“Actually, no!” I said with a chuckle. “My buddy from work, Daniel, invited me to his Halloween party so I’m following him to his house right now!”
“Reaaally? Well that sounds like fun!!” She replied with a mix of relief and joy. “What is going down at Daniels? Do you know anyone else that’s gonna be there?”
“He said it’s just gonna be kinda low key with a few more of his buddies! I don’t know them but they all sound really cool! We’re just gonna watch movies and eat candy and do all the normal Halloween things apparently!” I told her in a convincing half lie.
“Aww, well that sounds great! I’m so glad you’re hanging out with friends tonight!” She responded before a brief pause. “Oh okay! Hey here’s your dad, he wants to say something!” The audio crackled for a second before I heard my dads voice.
“Hey son! I’m happy to hear you’re going to a friends house tonight!” He said with obvious warm pride, “it’s a shame you’re too popular for your old parents now!” We all laughed for a moment before he continued. “Now I just gotta say. You’re old enough to have a good time, and I have no problem with that. BUT. One thing I will say is that if there’s any drinking going on at this party, just don’t go driving anywhere. Deal?”
“Oh yeah, deal, of course!” I answered truthfully. “I don’t even think Daniel and these guys are like that, but we’ll be sure to make it safe though, absolutely. Either way, I think we’re almost to his place, so I’ll have to talk to y’all later!” We were getting close, as Daniel’s car turned on the street and into a dimly lit apartment complex.
“That’s fine! We won’t wait up, so you feel free to spend the night there of course, if you want. We love you son! Happy Halloween!”
“I love y’all too! Happy Halloween!” I replied before hanging up. It was great to tell them about my fun night of plans. I could hear the happiness in their voices that I finally had some friends to hang with.
Daniel and I rolled through the complex, made up of long, two story brick buildings lined with white doors. There were light up pumpkins, witches and ghosts by doorsteps and fake cobwebs over windows. After passing several of these buildings we made our way to the back and Daniel parked. I followed suit, parking next to him. We both got out.
“Dude, this place is sweet!” I told him as we walked the sidewalk over to the side stairs.
“Thanks man, it’s been pretty nice around here, and cheap enough to where I can survive some nights making no money like tonight.” Daniel responded with a laugh.
“I feel that.” I said as we climbed the steps to the second story and walked past several doors before Daniel stopped at one numbered 628.
“Welp, here we are!” He said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out keys. He unlocked and opened the door, and immediately a strange, intoxicating smell poured out toward us.
“Woooooof, what is THAT?” I said loudly, entranced and confused.
“That, my friend, is our personal rocket ship for the evening.” Daniel replied with a devilish grin.
We walked through the front door into a humble, yet surprisingly tidy apartment. The entrance led us down a short hallway, lined with Kansas City Chiefs and St Louis Cardinals posters. We talked about sports quite a bit at work so this definitely checked out. The hall spilled into a living area, with a long pale couch and a dark blue easy chair. An absolutely monstrous TV welcomed us as well.
“Duuuuuude how big is your TV?” I asked, my jaw falling open.
“Seventy five inches bro. Little graduation present from the parents a couple years back.” Daniel answered, as smug as a lifelong hunter showing off his most prized big game trophy.
“Woahhhh” I said as I scanned it up and down. I turned around and surveyed the rest of the common area. Past the living room was the kitchen behind a partial wall, leaving a doorway sized path through to it. I could see a young man stirring a huge pot on the stove, using a large wooden spoon. His long, curly dark hair went all the way down to his lower back. I couldn’t see his face as he was turned away from us, toiling passionately at the big steaming container. He was wearing jeans and a sleeveless white t shirt, showing off his numerous arm tattoos.
“Come in, come IIIINNNN…to my house of SINNNNNN!” He bellowed, still facing down to the stove in front of him.
Daniel rolled his eyes and smiled. “For one bro, this would be MY house. And for two, if this is a sin, then send me straight to hell!” he said, walking through the living room and over to the opening to the kitchen.
The long haired young man stopped stirring and turned around slowly. He had big brown eyes that were shot open wide and he wore a mysterious, yet bone-white smile.
“Now now, dear Daniel, on the contraire, and you mustn’t forget, it is HEAVEN that was built for sinners! HELL was made for LOVERS!” He proclaimed in a low, almost Trans-Atlantic growl, raising a hand dramatically and holding intense eye contact. He was like something straight out of a Vincent Price movie. I stared in awe.
“Okay bro knock off the shtick.” Daniel sneered back in a laugh, shaking his head. He glanced over to me. “Sorry, he’s not usually this…mystic.”
“Ok, fine dude, but it’s Halloween! I’m just tryna be ghoulish!” His friend said, playfully defeated. His voice had changed to a higher pitched, more nasally tone, replacing the fake accent with what I assumed to be his real voice.
“You may be ghoul-ISH but your eyes tell me you’ve been smoking that goul-ASH! You been into my weed man?” Daniel humorously interrogated.
“Uhhhhh” his friend stumbled.
“Whatever bro, just come meet my buddy already.” Daniel responded.
The long haired fellow broke his gaze with Daniel and looked over to me, smiling. “Of course!” He said as he walked out of the kitchen and over to me in the living room. “Pleasure to meet ya sir, the name’s Roddy.” He extended a friendly hand and I took it.
“Nice to meet you man, I’m Matthew.” I replied.
“Sweet dude, I’m glad you came out tonight! It’s gonna be literally so amazing for all of us!” he said, raising his hands and extending his fingers out of undeniable anticipation.
“Yeah! So, like, what even is it exactly?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah man, you gotta give him the spiel” Daniel chimed in, curling up one side of his mouth.
“Of course! Come, come, let me show you what’s up!” Roddy replied, gesturing us both into the kitchen as he walked that way.
We all gathered around the steaming pot on the stove. The smell was so strong and yet so undefinable. It had notes of old leather, had an almost chemical hint of citrus, and somehow also gave off Coca Cola vibes. The steam was heavy and breathed the odor throughout the entire apartment. Roddys eyes looked almost predatory as he overlooked the bubbling brew.
“Boys, allow me to introduce you to what I like to call Plant X. Born deep within the Amazon jungle, this rare and mysterious form of life has been entirely untouched by man, giving no secrets, waiting in silence. That is, until now!” He said, raising his index finger.
“Duuuuuude cmon man get to the point so we can stop talking and start wooshing off into space.” Daniel clapped back with a smile.
“WHAT. EVER.” Roddy snapped in response. “So yeah my big brother went on this like Ayahuasca cleanse in Peru last month to get his head straight, right? Well, he met these indigenous dudes that hunt for hallucinogenic plants, and they had discovered something NEW. Like NEVER before had they seen anything like it. Ever. Like in millennia!! It’s this weird, bulbous little green and purple cabbage looking deal. So they all did it together and it was the ride of their lives!” He paused for effect, wafting the steam around with both hands, “like meeting celestial beings and playing basketball with unicorns and growing as tall as a building and jumping to the moon kinda stuff!”
“So like, do you just drink it?” I inquired, leaning on the black refrigerator that stood tall next to the stove.
“Yes! So big bro told me that you have to cook it down for like an hour, then pour it up into coffee cups and stir it real good then drink it. He said it hit him fairly quickly. BUT, he also said it comes in waves,” Roddy continued, his voice deepening, “and after each wave you have to drink another cup so the next phase can catapult you even higher. He did three waves. Wave one was like fun and hilarious. Wave two was more intense but in a euphoric kind of way. And wave three,” he paused and smiled and nodded slowly, “wave three….was absolute heaven.”
“So like how do you know when each wave is over?” Daniel asked, inquisitively scratching his beard.
“Apparently you just know. Like a three act play kind of vibe. I figure it’ll be easy to tell.” Roddy answered with confidence.
Daniel looked over to me, and I met his gaze and passed it on to Roddy, who smiled and reached down to turn the stove off. “Well boys, what do you say we start our engines?” He exclaimed, reaching into a white painted cabinet and getting out three brown coffee mugs.
“I’d say it’s about that time bro!” Daniel said, walking over to the cups and picking one up and twisting it in his hand. They both looked at me, waiting for my confirmation.
“Yeah guys let’s do it. Gonna be NUTS.” I happily obliged before walking over and picking out my own cup.
“Excellente!” Roddy shouted, dipping a big metal soup ladle into the now placid, cooling concoction. He took each of our cups and portioned out the potion till it filled halfway. Suddenly we were all facing each other, mugs raised for a toast, ready to drink.
“So like, I have to ask, but did your brother mention any bad side effects or anything?” I asked Roddy with just the slightest twinge of anxiety, cup still raised.
“Homies, he said the only bad thing about this is that you have to return to Earth when it’s over!” Roddy replied with a trustworthy grin. I nodded and returned a closed lip smile.
“Do the honors Rod!” Daniel encouraged.
“Boys, to a Halloween night we will never forget,” Roddy said softly and seriously, holding piercing eye contact for a couple seconds with Daniel and then me. “Cheers!”
“CHEERS!” Daniel and I echoed loud and proud, and we all put our cups together in a ceramic CLINK before raising them up to our open mouths. We all drank in a silent moment, swallowing the liquid in one big chug.
The drink was still as hot as coffee and burned all the way down my esophagus. The taste was extraordinary though. Surprisingly different from its odor. It began with a taste like a thin curry soup, but then changed to an almost spicy minty flavor, and then finished sweet and herbal, like a perfume for springtime.
“Woahhhh.” I breathed in an almost grunt.
“Daaaaaamn” Daniel added after sharply inhaling through puckered lips.
Roddys brow was lifted as high as it could physically go. “Okay, now THAT is good.” He agreed enthusiastically. We all set our cups down on one side of the big double sink next to the fridge.
“Man I think I’d drink that even if it didn’t get you zooted,”. Daniel added as we all returned to a circle in the middle of the kitchen.
“Definitely. That stuff is like INSANELY good.” I replied.
“That’s even better than I thought it’d be.” Roddy followed up.
“So like, what do we do now?” I asked, sharply glancing at both of them.
“Hmmm, well, I guess we just wait. Shouldn’t take long.” Roddy responded.
“I mean y’all wanna chill and watch some YouTube until it kicks in?” Daniel suggested.
“Hell yeah!” Roddy answered.
“Yeah sounds good!” I said in splendid agreement.
We walked out of the kitchen and back into the living area. The two of them sat on the pale colored couch and I parked myself in the easy chair. Daniel picked up the tv remote from in between two black coasters on a small wooden coffee table and clicked the red “On” button. The huge screen suddenly flared white before taking us to the Roku city home page.
“Y’all cool with like a nature video or something? I have a few bangers in mind.” Daniel asked, and Roddy and I made agreeable noises in return. Pretty soon, we were all glued to a beautiful natural scene, full of running giraffes and zebras, and delicate bioluminescent beings of the deep. After a few minutes Roddy turned to us.
“Y’all…like…feel it yet?” He asked.
“Can’t say I do.” Daniel responded.
“Nah, same here.” I threw in.
“Oooooookay, welp, it’s early. We’ll be there shortly for sure.” Roddy concluded.
We continued to watch the nature video in silence for a few more minutes. There was a long drawn out scene where they strapped a camera to the top of a hawk and followed its point of view over canyons and desert. It was truly breathtaking. I kept checking myself to see if anything was happening within me due to the mysterious substance. Nothing had seemed to change. I stole glances over to the other boys. They’re faces were pretty much blank. They looked bored. Hmm. I hope this wasn’t a dud. I hope Roddys brother didn’t just spray cologne on a handful of lettuce and tell him it was some Peruvian miracle drug. That would ruin the night entirely, and therefore, my first fun outing in over a year. No, I had to give it more time. Surely something would happen soon. I contemplated just simply pretending to experience hallucinations in a few minutes if nothing changed. Maybe the other guys would follow suit and we could all just have a placebo party. Yeah. Not a bad idea honestly.
I was self affirming my plan when suddenly all of the power went out in Daniels apartment. Pitch. Black.
“The hell?” He shouted.
I leaned back the easy chair, frozen.
“You pay electric this month dude?” Roddy taunted.
“Duh bro I always pay on the 5th. Stupid damn apartment complex. Somebody probably tripped something up.” Daniel responded coarsely.
Then suddenly the tv sprang back on, a pure white screen. We all fell dead silent, mouths falling open and pupils quickly dilating. I started to feel tingles throughout my body, like raw electricity was passing over my skin. I turned to the other boys, who were both raising their arms, studying them closely.
“Are y’all….feeling…this?” I whimpered.
“Uhhhh….yeah dude.” Roddy answered, voice trembling.
Daniel couldn’t even muster a response. He just kind of grunted in a high pitch.
Then, a voice came from the bleak screen.
“ARE……YOU……..PREPARED?” A low, booming question rang out through the living room. I was absolutely floored. I was paralyzed in my seat, unable to tear my eyes away from the mesmerizing light. I couldn’t even look over to the others.
“ARE……YOU…….PREPARED??!!” The voice repeated itself, this time much louder. It seemed to want some kind of answer from us. I finally was able to peek over to the couch. The two boys were visibly shaking in their seats. They both slowly turned their eyes to me, heads heavily vibrating in awe and fear.
“Y…y…y….yes.” I stated in a struggle, looking back into the eternal, unbearably white square. I darted back to Daniel and Roddy. They looked absolutely terrified. I gave them a wide eyed twitch toward the screen, imploring then to follow my lead.
“Uhhhh…..uhhhhhh…..yes, yes.” Roddy spoke first. “Cmon Dan” he whispered over to the seat beside him.
Daniel took his time, trying to summon every ounce of energy he had just to form one word. He began to nod, first softly, then swelling in power until it was almost violent and rabid.
“YES! YES!!” He shouted. Roddy and I managed a smile at his compliance. We all turned our attention back to the huge, beaming portal before us, awaiting further communication.
The blank screen began to blink slowly. On…off. On…off. On…off. The three of us shot looks at each other, our rightful confusion in unison. The winking light began to increase its tempo. I stared deep into the intermittent image of bright nothingness, eventually unfocusing my eyes and falling into a relaxed, almost hypnotized state. The visual rhythm acted as white noise for the eyes, and the rest of the world sizzled away around it. I was starting to experience ego death, beginning to lose my sense of self entirely. I wasn’t even sure I had a body anymore. Right as I was about to lose consciousness, the swiftly pulsing, icy slideshow came to an end, being replaced by the image of a beautiful green field. Healthy grass, little sunflowers, dandelions and wild strawberry plants reached up toward a cloudless, aquatic sky. The juxtaposition from the pale void to this marvelously detailed, lovely landscape was almost enough to make me cry. The definition was unlike anything I had seen onscreen before. It just looked so real. Better than real, even. The other boys and I passed around more looks to acknowledge that we were all on the same page.
“Wooooooo” Daniel mustered through down-curled lips.
Roddy shifted pleasantly in his seat. “It’s beautiful. It’s so beautiful.” He said in hushed awe.
“It’s just…too real.” I added, before standing up out of the easy chair. My legs felt like they were made out of concrete. With incredible difficulty I slowly drudged my way over toward the TV.
“Whatcha…..doin…..dude?” Daniel slowly slurred.
“It’s just…too real.” I said as I finally made my way right in front of the screen. The TV looked like it was fifty feet high and eternally wide from where I was standing. I reached out my right hand and began to move it toward the lush life on display before me. As I moved my fingers over a small patch of greenery, I was suddenly taken aback. I felt it. I felt the grass. I could feel each soft blade on my tingling fingertips.
“Uh….guys. You gotta get over here.” I announced, not peeling my focus away from the dimensional oddity in front of me.
“You won’t believe it. It’s…real.”
They both struggled their weighty legs over to where I was and began to pet the screen as well. Their eyes and mouths swung wide open in amazement as they experienced the same sensation of feeling the field for themselves. Daniel picked a sunflower and pulled it out of the projected field and into our reality.
“Im….possible.” He whispered, twisting the flower between his thumb and index finger. The three of us silently kept running our hands over the plants for another few moments. Then Roddy noticed something new on screen.
“What is that?” He asked, pointing to a small dark object on the field’s horizon. Watching closely, I saw something that was slowly getting bigger and bigger. No, not bigger. Closer. It was something running through the field and toward our vantage. As it got closer, it’s details grew into communicable recognition.
“Is that…a bear?” I asked almost in jest.
It was definitely a small bear. But it wasn’t a realistic bear like you’d find in the Appalachian or Alaskan ranges. It was man made. Doll like. A whole ass teddy bear, as a matter of fact. Light brown, felt fur wrapped into a sweet, friendly little body. As it grew closer and closer I could point out big, dark button eyes, with two matching stitched nostrils. It wore a goofy, toothless smile, in an upturned red crescent shape. It had small, spherical ears. At its side we’re two pairs of short, round, clawless arms and legs. Soon it approached close enough to fill the screen, perpendicular to the stark green and blue horizon. Outrageously, it began to speak to us.
“Hey fellas! Mind if I join ya?” It squeaked at us in a cute, high voice, as if it was in a Sunday morning children’s TV show.
The three of us didn’t know what to say.
“I, uh, uh, I mean, sure, sure, yeah, right?” Roddy answered it, side eyeing both Daniel and I for confirmation. We both flinched our shoulders in casual allowance.
“Hooray! Just grab my front paws and pull, pull, pull!” The little screen-bound bear said in return.
With confused giggles, Daniel and I raised our hands to its projected paws and amazingly were able to pass through the plane again and feel its soft wrist areas with a light squeeze. The teddy bear squealed with childlike delight as we lifted up its pillow-light frame out of the screen and onto the living room floor. In our reality, our new friend stood about four feet tall; bigger than a toy, but smaller than a threat. Roddy ran and flipped on the ceiling fan light so we could see our new guest more properly. Soon we were all standing around it, staring down in continued astonishment.
“So, like…..who are you.” Daniel blurted with deadpan voice, still unable to process what was happening.
The bear jumped from the floor to the top of the coffee table, so light it almost floated, and landed with a soft thud. It outstretched it’s adorable arms like a vaudevillian master of ceremonies.
“My name is…well…I can’t really say! If you were to hear my real, full name, then your minds would immediately dissolve into insanity and out of panic you would all stick things deeeep inside your ears and cause LOTS of damage! Trust me, it’s not a pretty sight!”
“Fair enough.” Daniel responded in a whimper.
“I can say it starts with the letter ‘A’ though!” The bear continued, and held out a plushy paw. Magically, the letter ‘A’ appeared over its palm, in a lime green vapor, before it floated up to the ceiling and dissipated. We all watched in astute amazement. “But, I usually tell all of my new friends to simply call me Eddy Bear! Although I come in many forms depending on what level of consciousness I am perceived in, this disguise is symbolic of fun! LOTS of fun! So let’s get to it!”
“Wait wait, so you’re like some kind of guide? Are you gonna be here the whole time?” I asked, rubbing my chin with my left hand.
“Well, yes! Well, kinda. Sometimes I’m a guide, sometimes I’m a teacher of sorts, sometimes I’m just a really good friend, like I am now!” Eddy Bear answered.
“What do you mean, SOMETIMES you’re a good friend?” Roddy inquired, not having missed that small detail of the explanation.
“Are y’all ready to come play and have FUN?” The bear continued, having apparently fallen deaf to the most recent question. We were a bit lost, but we weren’t here to philosophize, we were here to party. So we all nodded.
“GREAT! Then grab on and hold tight!”
We all put our hands on the shoulders and torso of the soft, sentient toy standing on the coffee table. We squeezed tight on its delicate, stuffed fabric, awaiting further instruction.
“Remember, hold on tight and don’t fall off! READY…SET…GO!!!!”
We were all suddenly surrounded by spiraling sparkles, like something straight out of a Disney classic. We began to float, about a foot from the floor, before slowly flying over toward the screen, which stretched out as wide and tall as the entire wall. I flinched as we didn’t slow down at all before passing through the TV display like an open window. Daniel let out a small, excited yell as we passed through the pristine portal.
Seamlessly, we were suddenly right there in the beautiful landscape. The temperature was perfect, probably around seventy degrees. The lush greenery decorated endless, rolling hills, out in every direction, as far as the eye could see. Above us, the sun beamed down warm and friendly. It was truly paradise. Any anxiety or confusion pertaining to our situation was immediately replaced by euphoric joy. It felt like living inside your favorite song. Golden, endless happiness radiated throughout my entire body. Even in all my years since I still can’t imagine a better feeling. Looking around at the others, I knew they were on the same wavelength. We couldn’t even form words. We just began to laugh, finally letting go of Eddy Bear. Starting with a low giggle, our volume began to accelerate quickly, and soon we were all hooting and hollering like a bunch of untreatable lunatics.
“Pretty cool, huh? How about we dance! Hit it boys!”
Eddy pointed an arm toward an empty patch of grass that opened up, with a small, circular stage rising out of the ground. On this stage were four other teddy bears, all on instruments. They all looked just like Eddy. I guess they all were Eddy, really. Three of them were sitting, their legs wrapping around slightly raised bongo drums. The other one was standing behind them, holding a saxophone. The drummers began to play a Conga rhythm in perfect synchronization, an infectious little beat. All of us in the audience grabbed hands and began to spin in a circle, still laughing uncontrollably. I was surprised that euphoria wasn’t escaping our open smiles in beams of blinding light. We all just looked into each other’s eyes, only able to communicate our perfect joy through maniacal guffaws. The bear on saxophone chimed in with the bongos, adding a beautiful, squealing melody that floated over the beat like a rising feather. We just kept spinning and laughing, the heavenly world twirling around us, eventually into just a colorful, blurry glow. We kept dancing around to the beautiful music for hours, maybe even longer. Here, there was no time. We were full of eternal energy, unable to even begin to grow tired or feel a need to stop. Eddy also seemed to be having the time of his life, as we held onto him and spun him a couple feet off of the ground. He was bubbling out a cartoonish giggle through his red, stitched mouth.
“ISNT THIS FANTASTIC?” He shouted at us. We of course couldn’t really answer but he knew that we concurred.
“IF ONLY IT COULD LAST FOREVER!!”
We all kept blissful eye contact with each other, as the colors of the landscape spun around us like a tornadic rainbow. Daniel and Roddys mouths and eyes were as wide open as physically possible, their pupils the size of quarters. Our laughing had not calmed the entire duration, which had felt like an entire lifetime to this point.
“WE’VE GOT TO GO HOME NOW FELLAS!” Eddy Bear continued, “BUT HAVE NO FEAR!! THERE IS STILL PLENTY AHEAD FOR YOU!! I HOPE YOU HAVE HAD FUN!! I KNOW I DID!!”
The music from the band swelled in volume as the colors around us began to change, growing brighter and brighter until it all became a surging white. Our vision was swiftly lost as the four of us were consumed by the radiance. I lost consciousness and my entire reality was suddenly plunged into a moment of darkness.
Several seconds of absolute void passed before my eyes shot open again. I was back in Daniels living room, sitting right there in the easy chair like nothing had happened. The TV was off but the overhead light was still on. I looked over to the couch and there were the other boys, who were stirring into wakefulness as well. Roddy nervously tapped on his chest and arms, checking to see if he was real and alive still. Daniel goofily stared at his hands.
“Are…are…we back??” He wondered aloud.
“I guess so. I guess that was the first wave…” Roddy answered softly.