I had to pee. My bladder, ready to burst, was obviously the reason I’d been yanked out of sleep; Pam moved on my shoulder, and even though I was ready to ruin my pants I took a moment to enjoy the situation.

I lasted a second; I stood and she fell onto the couch but not out of sleep. James was spread out on the floor beneath us, took up too much space for me to completely avoid him; always a near comatose sleeper, I was still surprised when I stepped on his hand and he didn’t scream out.

Didn’t have any more time to think though, ran to the bathroom; when I got there the urge moved up, hit my shoulders and was into my fingers; I had no control anymore, my arms were straight out, knees locked, I turned around and lumbered towards my room like a B-movie zombie.

I crossed the threshold of my room and the lights were more than off, they weren’t there, nothing was; smoke shifted into existence, became ground that my feet sunk into like mud.

I was under my own control again, and though some smoke had solidified more of it hadn’t,  I had to wave through a leftover fog as I walked. Silhouettes became clear in the distance, when I reached them I found James sitting on the ground, Chuck, Douglass, and Neil standing behind him, with Smoky the Bear in the sentry position, in front of them all.

James’ face lit up when he saw me, same way as the weed in the bowl he held the lighter to. “Didn’t think you were gonna make it, been your hit for like…ever.”

The Muses laughed, stepped around then in front of my friend. “We saw your meltdown.” Neil noted.

I began to correct him but Douglass spoke first, “Whatever you call it doesn’t matter; we decided we’d simplify things for you.”

I didn’t understand.

Chuck took his turn, “Your body is writing right now; all you have to do is execute the plan.”

The smoke that all of us were on disappeared but I was the only one that fell into darkness below; I picked up speed, my back was to the ground, you were supposed to wake up from falling dreams but I landed right next to Pam; we were on the hillside, staring at the stars in the seconds before her firework show. “Don’t worry I didn’t say anything.” She said without looking at me.

The explosions started, colors cascaded, ash drifted down from the sky into the shape of three human anatomies; the shells cracked, swung open like sarcophagi, out stepped Ernest, Ray, and K. “Yes,” Ernest paused to move his cigar from jacket pocket to his mouth, “You’ve made our time together quite boring.”

K looked down on me from what seemed like another planet. “Good to know you’re taking advantage of what’s been set up.”

Ray offered me a hand and I took it, jumped to my feet. “How’re you liking your look into the minds of your friends? Find out anything new?” He asked.

“I doubt that,” Ernest answered for me, took a step forwards; something appeared in my pocket, my hand went in, ensured the object was what it needed to be, “He’s not a real man.”

My fingers tightened around the plastic in my pocket. “Shut up.” I said and lit his cigar.

End

Episode 8: The Meal