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"You'll come up soon. Just let it ride," Crow rumbles. He pulls out a joint, sparking it up and passing it around. Everyone takes it, smoking the joint down until it's a tiny roach pinched between my fingers.
I suck in, a cough hitting me before the smoke even fills my lungs. My finger burns as the cherry brushes my skin, and I wince as I pass it on, my eyes watering as a flush takes over my body.
And then I feeleverything.
It feels like my body is morphing into something else. An animal, a plant, the entire earth. My hand raises and I settle down onto the grass, letting the long green blades brush against my legs and ankles, tickling my feet. They feel soft, soft like butter, cotton, air, as my fingers wrap around them. My palm swallows them, and it feels like my body ingests them.
Whoa.
I roll onto my back, looking up at the sky. Night has come, pushing the sunlight to the other end of the earth. The air is cool, brushing against my bare neck all the way to my feet. It feels like every breath I take lifts me off the ground. I feel suspended in the air, levitating above the earth as the world expands around me.
I close my eyes, seeing the galaxy reflected behind my lids. Every time I open my eyes, the sky lights up, the tips of the trees swaying in the mountain air. Then I close my eyes again, seeing each star I've memorized since I was a little girl.
I name them off, just as I always have.
Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Cygnus, Cassiopeia, Draco.
The list goes on, and on, and on. I feel like I name off constellations for a century, each one morphing into something else. It's like the stars come to life, moving and creating a movie in the sky.
I watch.
I feel the grass crunch beneath me, sounding like it’s coming through loudspeakers. I look over, seeing Willie walk up to me.
"Feel it?"
I blink at him, not sure how to use my tongue. Not sure how to use my body at all.
It hit me at once.
He lies next to me, his body one hundred degrees as he sits flush against me. It feels too hot, like there are flames coming off his body. I look over at him, literally seeing flames curling around his clothes. He doesn't flinch, like it's not even there. But it looks like it is, so it must be me.
I shuffle away from him, only an inch. I can tell he doesn't like this. His arm slings around my stomach, pulling me flush against him. His arm feels like a weight, like it's a million pounds of fire as it wraps around my naked stomach. I breathe, not sure how to use words right now. Not sure how to tell him that I don't want this.
Instead, I close my eyes, riding the wave.
And let the world consume me completely.
I wake up the next morning, feeling out of sorts. My body feels overused, like I ran a marathon overnight. I sit up, looking around the open field. Most people are still sleeping, either on blankets or on the grass. There are some tents, but most people are sleeping underneath the open sky.
Willie lies next to me, his arm wrapped around my side.
What happened last night?
My skirt is bunched up to my thighs, and I frown, pulling it back down to my ankles. I slide out of his hold, rolling over and getting up.
I need to go pee.
I see Trish and Neil sleeping next to Crow and Danae. Danae is sleeping directly on top of Crow. Crow's arms are splayed out onto the blanket, and for some reason he reminds me of Jesus on the cross.
The grass is damp this morning, and my toes get wet with dew as I walk across the field and into the trees. There are a few people sleeping against the stumps, and I walk past them, tiptoeing across sticks and logs, hoping I don't wake anyone up.
I find a private spot and pull my skirt up, squatting down to the ground to relieve myself. When I'm finished, I get up, wandering back the way I came.
Willie is still asleep, but Neil and Trish are sitting up. They both look out of it, completely disoriented. Just as I feel.
"Hey," I whisper as I walk up to them.
"Dude, what happened last night?" Neil runs his hands over his face. "I feel like I got hit by a truck."
