My first high

I take a deep breath ..hold my breath ..then let it out slowly ..feeling the locks on my brain dissolve. We’re in an abandoned horse stable, off the beaten track, somewhere between high school and home. Biff is looking at me through squinty eyes and smiling. I smile back. “What do you think ..?” he asks. “Sweet” I say. He nods appreciatively and tells me I’m in for a treat ..this batch was cured in DMT. I tell him I don’t know what that means. “It’s psychoactive” he says. Halfway through the next hit my fingers start tingling ..then go completely numb. My hands swell up like balloons ..which makes handling the joint a major task. I try to explain this to the others when I realize that my lips have gone numb and I can’t hear myself speak ..until half a second later when it sounds like my voice is coming out of loudspeakers, located somewhere over my head, going “where did you get this shit, Biff ..?” I look around to see where the sound is coming from and everyone starts laughing ~ flash ~ all I can see are Mike and Biff squinting and grinning at me ~ flash ~ now I’m squinting and grinning back. Images are actually reaching me in flashes ..like a movie in slow motion with some of the scenes removed. I feel like I’m 20 feet tall handling a tiny burning ember ..and trying to make sure I don’t swallow it while inhaling ~ flash ~ we’re walking down a trail leading to a residential street ~ flash ~ it looks like Mike and Biff are switching directions in front of me and so I shout. They tell me that they’ve been going straight ..I’m the one who must be switching directions. I’m convinced we’ve been walking in circles and are no farther from the place we started ~ flash ~ we’re passing around a garden hose in someone else’s front yard ~ flash ~ Teresa pulls over and goes “Hello boys, wanna’ ride?” and I’m like ..thank God. Then I stop and go “Wait, you OK to drive? I mean we’re pretty stoned.” Mike looks at me, laughs and says “just get in and maintain.” Teresa is looking at us from the front seat and laughing “You guys are pretty fucked up, huh?” I mumble something incoherent ..causing her to laugh even harder. I hear her say “I have to run by the gift shop ..you guys mind?” and I feel a jolt of paranoia shoot up my spine. The gift shop is by the donut shop where the cops hang out. I hear my brain shout “engage maintenance faculties NOW” ~ flash ~ I’m trying to find my way out of the gift shop ~ flash ~ HORROR!! The cops really are at the donut shop, I can’t leave now. I start pacing back and forth ~ flash ~ I smile as we drive by. The cops stare back so hard ..it looks like their necks are stretched out and their heads are actually in the car with us ~ flash ~ I’m standing in my driveway ~ flash ~ I’m kneeling on my driveway ~ flash ~ I’m fishing for the keys inside my pocket, which has grown an extra foot deep. I’m relieved to find one that opens the door. My throat feels like a dusty staircase .. I drink some juice and feel it splash down every step ~ flash ~ I wake up and it’s noon the next day.