Minute 5

I grasp the sleeve of her iridescent, snow-white toga; she gingerly leads me back to the bottom of the wadi.

But it’s all different now. It’s now the Garden of Eden. Eve (she’s now Eve to me, I’m beginning to believe I’m Adam) leads me to an aquamarine pool fed by a 30 foot waterfall.

‘Wait....We’re in a wadi in the middle of the desert. This scene is not possible’, my mind says, but my senses tell me differently. She coyly glances over her shoulder; smiles.

I’m overwhelmed. I breathe deeply, letting the dampness of the air and the siren’s perfume of her presence intoxicate me. What to do?

I’m pretty sure the drink she gave me earlier was suffused with something. Which I’m now thankful for. I’m in that special place all LSD trippers recognize as partially suspended reality: I know what I’m experiencing is not real but yet it really feels like it is, and if not, should be. Just rolling with the tempo, bro. Try to keep it upbeat, I tell myself.

But can’t. I’m startled from my reverie by screaming...loud, eardrum shattering shrieking. “No no no no. Stop! Stop! Stop!”

I stomp on the brakes quick enough to avoid running the red light and being crushed by cross traffic. I’m disoriented, but at least recognize I’m somewhere in a dry riverbed in Mesa, Arizona . I’m adrenalin boosted and incredibly confused and so thankful my girlfriend’s screams saved me.

I take a deep “I’m alive” breath and turn towards her. Only to find an iridescent, snow-white toga lying in the seat I thought she occupied.