Yes, the world spun around me and I felt dazed and all and sundry, but there really isn't time to get into the details. Fact was the scraping sound could be heard making its way up the spiraling ramp, and I did not have much time before it got here. The 11-year old Mehak took hold of my hand and beckoned me to follow her and we made a dash for the opposite direction. We came across an air vent on our way, and she pulled away the hatch for us to get in and hide. We got in and she replaced the hatch, motioning to me to not say a word. She saw the thoroughly puzzled expression on my face and gestured that she would tell all. She placed both her hands on both sides of my forehead, and suddenly I was yanked out of the tiny space into an infinite chamber of blinding lights and swirling everything. It was all technicolor, or as my friend would say, all jatang. Bright orbs or intertwining stuff floated in front of me, assuming prophetic shapes, then melting into a throbbing mass. In front of me floated the bloated version of Mehak's 11-year old head, fixing her almond shaped orbs onto my eyes. I always remembered her being beautiful, with the most appealing, soft voice. It was that voice that spoke to me now, telling me what was happening.
'You are indeed seeing me in the flesh. You remember me don't you? Those summers that we spent running through the parks together? Time took me away from you, who knows how we'd have ended up.' Here, her face took on a melancholic expression, if that was possible for an 11-year old face, and she tried to touch my face. 'But that is not the matter. Let me tell you what you have stumbled upon. Just like you, one day seven years ago, I decided to check out this parking lot. But I did not know then what this place was. This place turns into a wormhole by night. All through the day, we lie suspended in time as the world carries on its monotonous charade, but once the sun sets, the cogs are once again set in motion, to spin into nothingness. Those things you saw earlier, they are the controllers of this game, a quicksand of souls, they will swallow your being. We must not fall to their hands. I have been running from them every night for the past seven years.' A tear fell onto her cheek, and she took a long pause, during which time I decided to wonder about how the hell I'd gotten here. But it hurt too much, so I let it go for the moment.
'We shall remain as we are forever. Till death, or worse, catches us with us, and it eventually will. At least now I have you to die with. Could you come to love me by then?'
'WHAT THE?!...' I was suddenly back in the hatch, with Mehak still beside me, futilely beseeching me to keep silent. I made for the hatch, tearing it open and jumping out, away from her...
Straight into the waiting claws of that thing, whatever it was. I fell, limp, at its feet and tried to take a look at its face, and I managed to.
But it had no face. It was simply a swirling void, a black whirlpool that seemed to collapse in on itself. It wanted to suck at me, and now I realized Mehak's words were literal, it was a whirlpool. And it was sucking me in, I could feel the inescapable force tugging at me.
I looked around and saw her come out of the hatch, screaming in horror, wailing.
'NO! NOOO!'...but strangely, her voice grew deeper, and deeper, until it was robotic. Her image twisted, got mixed with various other colors, and finally faded...
'Oh f-', I was almost falling off the ledge. I quickly balanced myself, and got down. It had stopped raining a long time ago, and I checked my watch to see that I had slept for half an hour, dreaming. I laughed; yes, there was a very typical ending to my story, but it still left me wondering why I'd dreamed of Mehak. I wondered whether it had anything to do with my evening activities, those leaves I had chewed. Then I decided maybe it was. What the heck, no damage done. I walked away silently down to my house, and tucked myself into bed, to a long, dreamless sleep...
Footnote: Salvia Divinorum, or 'Diviner's sage' is a well-documented drug, traditionally used for purely medicinal purposes, but also for recreational reasons in the recent past. It can ingested by chewing, smoking, or using a tincture. Some of its symptoms are:
Past memories, such as revisiting places or people from childhood memory.
Sensations of motion, as if being pushed or pulled by some force.
Overlapping realities, such as the perception of being in several places at once, accompanied by synesthesia.
It is a drug to be had alone when in mild doses, as it causes shifts in consciousness. However when ingesting in pure form, such as leaves, it is advisable to have a sober, pleasant partner around, or it may result in a bad trip and unpleasant dreams...
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