14

Deeter swallowed the substance, and listened to the music quietly. It was odd to him, intricate and overly rhythmic. He couldn't recognize a single instrument. He considered asking what it was, but he figured he wouldn't understand the answer. And then, the drug took hold.

It was not at all like being drunk on wine.

At first he didn't notice anything different. Then he felt cold. Extremely cold. He said he was cold, and Timbella rushed off, returning with a large stack of blankets. She wrapped him up in them, claiming that she felt too warm already.

He squeezed the blankets tightly and looked at the flower. The iris danced in time with the music. Dancing? He laughed, and then stared at the ceiling. Concentric multicolored circles bubbled upon it. He asked her about the art on the ceiling, which then made her laugh. He looked straight across at the art he'd been entranced with earlier, but it, too, was extra-colorful and bubbling. He watched it for a time. The simple figures began growing rainbow ferns, tendrils curling around each other...

He started to feel feverish but cold. He loosened up some of the blankets, and made the mistake of looking at Timbella. Her curly hair was growing and wrapping itself around her. He quickly looked back up at the ceiling, but the eye movement convinced him to just shut them.

He then saw the strangest thing. He was a fountain – a statue with many arms, made of marble, all spraying water. He was staring at the fountain at the same time he knew he was the fountain, and four naked women splashed and swam in his waters. He moaned and rubbed his crotch, and more women appeared in his vision. They began kissing and fondling each other, as well as the statue.

He gasped and opened his eyes, springing forward a bit. He swore and then sat back again. Timbella asked if he was having a good time. He replied that he thought he was. But he couldn't be sure of anything.

Surety? What was that concept, anyway? He was trapped any way he moved. If he stayed still, the plants would curl up and around him. If he stood up, the circles would bubble over him. He started laughing again...

He was still laughing when she asked if he was thirsty, or needed to use a toilet. He couldn't stop laughing so he just nodded. A glass was soon thrust into his hand. He drank greedily. He was then pulled to his feet and led to a small room. The toilet was pointed out to him, like a great chamber pot with water at the bottom. He lowered his pants and let loose a great stream. He remembered to cover the toilet before making his way back to the sofa.

“I don't feel quite as weird,” he said.

“Well yeah, it's been an hour,” she said. “The strongest part is done, especially since you peed. Why didn't you flush?”

“Oh. Flush.” He started laughing maniacally again. “Indoor plumbing! What a concept!”

She started to giggle too. “Yeah, it's one of the many wonderful advantages of not living in a pre-industrial society. You should try it sometime!”

They both collapsed in paroxysms of giggles. When the giggles started to fade a bit, they were leaning against each other, their faces nearly touching. He thought he might like to kiss her, but that thought set him off again, this time lying on his back laughing.

“Man, I can't believe you've never done this before. A lot of people sometimes freak out, but you seem to be going with it really well.”

“That's me. I go with things.” He attempted to suppress his laughter by making a very serious face. This worked, but the sight made Timbella start laughing again.

And so on. Finally he managed to say, “I've been going with it for a few months now. This is stranger than most things I've experienced, though.”

“I bet!”

He remembered that he wanted to kiss her earlier, and this time managed to do so before the laughter took him. The kiss was soft, short and sweet.

“Oh?” she said after.

He shrugged. “And we come yet again to another thing I'm not very experienced with.”

She rubbed her eyes. “Are you only doing this because you're high?”

“I can't really tell,” he said. “Earlier it struck me like a beam of light. But I managed to keep from ravishing you.”

She giggled. “Hee hee, ravish. It's been too long since I've had a good ravishing.” She leaned back to him and kissed him, hard, long, and vicious.

“Would you settle for a mediocre ravishing?” he tried to say.

“Shut the hell up.”