King of Carrot Flowers

“Whatever you do, don’t look in the mirror after you take this. It’s some creepy shit.” said Matt as he handed me a mint green acid tab. I reached for it, but he pulled back and gave me one of those mom looks. 

“I get it man, no mirror.” I replied, grabbing the tiny paper square.

“It’ll help you, I swear. I heard it on a podcast. They said LSD alters your brain chemistry or some shit and it makes your depression literally just stop. It’ll work.” He knew I was afraid. This was a big step up from an occasional bong hit or a blunt rotation. Our health classes used to warn us about the kids we were about to become. 

“Put it on your tongue and then stick it to the roof of your mouth, I’ll get some music going.” Matt said. I followed his instructions, and heard “Somebody Else” by The 1975 echo from the other room.

“Dude, you trying to get me to kill myself before the trip even starts?” I asked.

“Fuck you, just listen to the music and not the words man.” He laughs, “I don’t feel anything yet, I’m going to smoke.”

“It hasn’t even been three minutes, idiot.”

“Don’t care, I want to be high already. Wanna hit?” He shakes his bong at me.

“Fuck it.”

***

“Shit I had too many beers, I gotta break the seal. If you unpause I will know and I will kill you,” I announced. I refused to lose a cross-faded game of Mario Golf because of my bladder. Matt raised his hands with a sheepish grin. I turned around and stumbled up the stairs to the bathroom. While peeing, I noticed the towel covering the mirror.

“Fuck this.” I muttered as I pulled the towel down. Everything looked normal. I was just looking at myself. It was magnificent. I could see every pore, every hair, even the patches of dead skin cells. I scratched the skin under my chin. Something moved under it. I scratched harder. it shifted again. It felt good. It felt great. I needed something stronger. I ransacked the kitchen looking for something to use. I grabbed a fork, grinned, ran back to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and dug it into my neck.

I laughed at my victory. The body in the mirror didn't. 

About the Author

Ryan Hiemenz is a senior Media and Communications major with a concentration in Multimedia Publishing and a minor in Creative Writing. Currently, he is a CTLM fellow on the communications team, the Layout Manager for The Compass, the Editor-in-Chief of Arcadia University’s literary magazine Quiddity, and the Co-Editor-in-Chief for Loco Mag, a Philadelphia lifestyle and culture magazine. Ryan enjoys spending his free time reading, writing poetry, and hyper fixating on specific film directors until he’s watched everything in their filmography.