room, so I swiped one and scarfed it down.
To wash it down, I grabbed one of the bottles of water set up on the counter in neat rows. As soon as I walked into the living room, I was certain I would spend the rest of the night in the house. A black light made everything seem even more psychedelic. But it wasn’t glitzy or fake at all. I found it hard to put my feelings into words as a group of twenty-something stoners all looked at me when I came in.
“What’s up, guys,” I said as casual as I could muster with the mix of weed and alcohol in my system.
“We’re about to smoke,” a bearded one said. “Join us?”
“Sure…” I sat down in a recliner. The huge cushion swallowed me, trapping me.
“I’m Edison,” the one who’d invited me in said. Ginger beard is Edison. I said in my mind, hoping to remember at least one of their names. The other four introduced themselves one after the other, but as soon as they spoke, I forgot their names. I nodded my head, flashing my smile, which had gotten me out of many college situations in the past.
“I’m Carissa,” I said when it was my turn. My costume gave me a little courage.
All of them nodded their heads, not smiling. They were like wise weed wizards or something. That thought caused me to giggle, a reaction they studied with intense curiosity. Edison handed me a twelve inch green plastic water bong. After I took it from him, he passed me a lighter. The costume had a way for me to easily lift the cloth covering my face.
All five weed wizards gasped in surprise when I revealed my face. Are they gonna start hitting on me now? I wondered. Without waiting for my brain to come up with an answer, I put my mouth into the tube and lit the bowl. After it filled with smoke, I pulled the bowl out and inhaled deeply. I held the smoke in as I leaned forward and passed it to the guy to my right.
The bong made its way around the room as the brownies I’d consumed began to affect my mind. This is a big buzz. It almost feels like… My eyes opened wide as I turned to look at Edison. He appeared alarmed when he saw my face, but he didn’t say anything. If I asked if the brownies had magic mushrooms in them, he’d know I’d snatched one for myself without paying.
“The sign said eat me,” I blurted out.
He laughed, starting with a small chuckle but soon leveling up to a full-fledged guffaw.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“It’s fine. They’re free.”
“Is it shrooms? Just pot? What the hell was in those?”
“Not a lot of shrooms, unfortunately, but some. You may begin to get a bit buzzed.”
When he used the “zzzz” sound, I laughed out loud. “You guys are pretty cool, I said.”
“Are you going to join us downstairs in a bit?” Edison asked, staring into my eyes.
“I don’t know. Maybe. What’s downstairs.”
“Just another part of the party,” he replied with a sly grin.
All of a sudden, I didn’t trust him for some reason. The effect of the alcohol was long gone as I began my psychedelic journey. When the bong made its way around the room to me again, I turned it down. My mind was long gone. The recliner cushion had sucked me in completely. I doubted it I could move at all. After I passed on the weed, Edison stood up.
“Party time. Brownies assemble,” he shouted, breaking the silent mood of the house.
He looked at me and smiled as a group of naked men and women filtered into the living room from the basement. Once again, my eyes got huge – like in a cartoon.
“Take your pick,” Edison said. “Everyone who took a brownie gets a person to please them.”
I found the strength to sit up and escape the chair. Before he could question my look of horror, I pulled the flap of my costume down to cover my face. It was hard to see clearly through the small eyeholes, but I hightailed it to the front door, which was locked. I panicked for a second before instinct took over. I bolted for the kitchen, screaming like a kung-fu expert
Sophie McKenzie
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David Graeber
Jana Mercy
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