Acid Reality

Acid Reality

(A story I wrote a few years ago, thought I might revise and update it but would like some feedback on how it as at the moment and where the changes should be made.)

By: Ash Tewierik

The door creaks as Mark slowly opens it; he immediately walks towards his brother’s desk and sits down. Mark Washington sits and stares at nothing for what to him seems like years but only mere seconds pass. Then the tears start to flow, uncontrollably as he weeps for his brother, he then begins to slowly survey the desk looking for closure though he knows that he will not find it. Surveying the papers that are strewn across the top of the desk, he finds nothing of any importance and decides to look in the three draws below the desk. The first draw contains 4 cigarettes which Mark quickly rolls into a sheet of paper and tosses into the bin to save his mother from finding them. The second draw is empty. Mark buries his disappointment of not finding anything that may answer for his brother’s disappearance, and places all his hopes in the final draw. First inspection of the third draw finds nothing but a pile of paper and books. Mark slowly scrummages through them feeling even worse than before, until he reaches the bottom of the pile.

At the bottom of the pile of papers and books, Marks attention is drawn to a notepad type book. Closer inspection of the cover reveals to Mark the title: Journal. Mark places the journal on the centre of the table above the strewn out paper, and contemplates whether or not to tell his mother about his find.

As Mark sits contemplating, his mother opens the door. Mark quickly throws various pieces of paper over the top of his find.

“What are you doing in here?” His mother asks.

“Remembering.” Mark replies, tears running down his face.

Marks mother leaves and as she does the journal emerges from under the paper, Mark grasps it tight and decides to take it into his own room to study, so that his mother does not begin to get suspicious as she always seems to get when Mark or his brother are hiding something.

Mark lies on his own bed as he begins to read his brother’s journal. The first few pages bring back so many memories. David, Marks brother it seems wrote furiously about what he had done each day. About half way through, Mark turns to a blank page, he quickly flips the page over.

LSD, the title reads.

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), a potent hallucinogenic drug, also called a psychedelic drug or psychoactive drug, first synthesized from lysergic acid in Switzerland in 1938.

Mark, shocked continues to read.

Transient abnormal thinking induced by LSD, such as a sense of omnipotence or a state of acute paranoia can result in dangerous behaviour.
Although LSD is not physiologically addictive, the drugs potent mind-altering effects can lead to chronic use.

At the bottom of the page, written in red reads.

The drug evokes dream-like changes in mood and thought and alters the perception of time and space.

Mark looks up, dazed not understanding anything he had just read except for the word drug. He quickly reads over it again. After a second time reading over it quickly he decides to ignore it and continues through the journal, Mark flips the page. Two small square shaped pictures fall out, he quickly retrieves them. One has a picture of the cookie monster from Sesame Street printed on it; the other is a picture of a strawberry. Mark wonders what there significance is, and turns to the journal in a search for answers. All the journal reads are the three letters LSD. Mark quickly turns back to the previous page, and begins to read again. Upon closer inspection he finds something he missed.

LSD comes in many forms, one of them being a blotch paper, which appears as a small child’s sticker-of-sorts. A LSD trip will last from approximately 6-12 hours depending on the dosage taken.

Mark cannot believe that he is holding a drug, and even more he cannot believe that his brother had it. Mark had no idea.

Mark decides to clear it from his brain and continues through the journal. The following pages are just like the first, day to day accounts of David’s life. Mark soon reaches the final page, reading through it he notices more references to LSD, but after reading over the final page three times there is one line that sticks into his mind.

I do not know if I should show Mark what this world is actually like, one dose of LSD, I do not know if he will be able to handle the truth.

Mark begins to shake, he is scared, and in this split second of being afraid his mind makes a decision, a decision to try the drug. It could be his only chance to find his brother his mind tells him.

His mother is downstairs, so Mark takes the chance and decides to use the drug LSD that he has read so much about. He places the cookie monster in his mouth and sucks all the flavour out of it. He tastes an alcoholic type taste which he finds to be extremely bitter, and after about 5 seconds spits it out onto the floor.

All of a sudden Mark begins to feel drowsy, he sits down on his bed, but jumps up suddenly as his bed turns into a huge green slab, filled with a slimy orange substance, then all the walls turn green and Mark collapses. He is still conscious, but everything is green, even the floor he is now lying on. He doesn’t know what to do, all he can think of is yelling for his mother

”MUM!” Mark screams.

Marks mother races up to his room from the kitchen, quickly opening the door to find her son strewn across the floor in a heap. Mark looks at the open green door which appears furry and possibly alive. He then turns to his mother whimpering. Mark looks at his mother, but sees instead a small creature, similar to a wolf but red and standing on two legs, he screams. The wolf runs over and puts its arms around him, Mark freezes with fear.

“What’s wrong Mark?” The wolf asks.

“Who the hell, no what the hell are you?” Mark spits out.

“It’s your mother.” The wolf-like creature replies.

“It will be ok, what is wrong?” It continues.

Mark sits on the floor in a daze and after a few minutes he remembers that the LSD is a psychedelic drug, so he figures that what he is experiencing must be a hallucination. Mark then cautiously sits up and begins to talk in a very serious tone.

“Mum, don’t get angry with me, but I took some LSD, I am so sorry.”

The wolf pauses for a second, its teeth show, large white razor sharp teeth with a saliva type substance dripping slowly onto the floor inches away from Mark.

“I expected more of you son, LSD is a drug, you could have caused major damage to yourself, let me take you to the hospital. How are you feeling?” The wolf says, now having retracted its teeth back into its hideous mouth.

“Everything is different, nothing is the same.” Mark replies.

“You’re a wolf!” He continues.

Marks mother, a wolf decides to take her drugged up son to the hospital. As mark slowly follows the strange creature, he notices that the whole world is different, when they leave the house; Mark is still in a daze, everything seems different as if he was on an alien planet. Strange creatures, some large, some small others red and others yellow line the blue looking streets. Mark continues to follow. The wolf leads Mark to the garage, where the car is parked. But once the garage door disappears, not opens, the car Mark notices is replaced with a liquid-type substance of some kind, and moulded into a vehicle type state. Mark stares at the substance wondering to himself what the hell is going on.

“Get in!” The wolf growls at Mark.

Mark somehow manages to board the strange vehicle, stepping into the substance he is immediately absorbed into a comfortable upright position, as does the wolf creature that he is following. They then race through places unknown to Mark, it seems to look like his old neighbourhood but it is not. Mark sits silently afraid to look at the wolf; he stares at the buildings passing by as they speed along their path. The Buildings look almost alive he thinks quietly to himself, but dismisses his thoughts when remembering that he is having his first drug experience. They arrive at a large purple building and stop.

The creature slowly exits the vehicle, Mark does the same, he pushes himself to the edge sliding through the surrounding substance with ease, coming to rest on the blue sidewalk. He collapses.

“Follow me.” The creature Barks.

Mark does not remember a hospital being situated here but follows anyway. Upon entering the building, Mark only remembers a bright white light, nothing more.

“Wake up!” A voice pierces a dead silence.

Mark slowly opens his eyes adjusting them to the light; a figure is standing above him. He then notices that he is lying down.

“Mark, are you awake?” the voice continues.

Mark slowly regains consciousness, and looks at the figure standing above him.

“D…David?” He stutters.

“Yes it’s me Mark, take your time while you wake, you will need all of your strength.” David replies.

Mark now sitting up talks with his brother, it seems as though the LSD has worn of because, everything is back to normal, but there is one problem Mark notes. He is in a jail cell.

Mark sits and talks with David, they have not seen each other for 6 months, since David had went missing. David tells Mark that they are both captives on an alien planet, and that all the food they have been consuming their entire lives was laced with a hallucinogenic drug that forces one’s mind to believe that they are living on a human planet. David continues that the LSD Mark found in his room reversed the effect of the other hallucinogenic drugs and showed him the real world.

Mark thinks that David has gone crazy due to drug abuse, but a part of him believes that he could be telling the truth. All of a sudden Mark and David freeze and listen as they hear approaching footsteps in the distance.

In their cage the two don’t know what to do they stare at each other blankly, but afraid. The footsteps get closer and closer, then the boy’s mother appears from around a corner in her human form, she steps forward and stands before the bars of the jail cell.

“Mum, what’s happening?” Mark screams at his mother.

“Don’t worry son, everything is fine.” She replies calmly.

“Get me out of here!” David screams as Mark begins to cry.

“Do it NOW!” There mother screams.

A bright light spreads through the jail cell, as Mark and David simultaneously collapse onto the hard cold stone floor.

“Wake up Mark, time for school.”

Mark slowly wakes up.

“Time for school son, I’ll go wake David, get dressed we are leaving in half an hour.”

Marks mother leaves the room to wake up David, Marks older brother. Mark slowly gets out of bed, and begins to pull on his clothes; he has a slight headache but thinks nothing of it.

“Another boring day at school” Mark thinks to himself as he enters the garage, then jumps into the backseat of the family car.