After my last shitty experience doing LSD with Kai, I was itching to drop with somebody more fun. While I offered the experience to both Kat and Alex, only Alex opted to take the plunge. I went through the usual questions I ask when someone agrees to do it with me. "Have you done it before? What other drugs have you done? Are you normally anxious or nervous? Where do you feel most relaxed?" Alex had only ever smoked weed a handful of times. She didn't seem nervous about it. She thought being in the park would be the most comfortable place for her. I always want the set and setting to be optimal for a first timer. I want them to love hallucinogens. Anyone that knows me, has probably been annoyed by how much joy I take in getting someone to experiment with any new substance. Like, real dick-hardening joy. I clap my my hands and smile wide when Alex tells me she's down to clown. We set up a time for all three of us to meet in the park near nearby to Kat's house. I go to bed giggling to myself.
The next day, I jumped out of bed with a little extra spring in my step. Acid day, is my favorite day. Kat and I went to the store to grab some snacks and drinks. We collected a blanket, some speakers, and made our way to the park. Alex showed up not long after with the naive smile of someone who doesn't really know what they're getting into. I'd given acid to people without any drug experience before. It didn't go so well. They were pacing, confused, and kind of scared. It was probably a bad idea to start them off with two hits. Oops. I wouldn't make that mistake again. I decided to give Alex 60mcg, a half-dose. I took 80mcg, I wanted a little stronger trip than normal today. We each snorted our share and let Kat play DJ while we sat and talked about what to expect and how long it would take to kick in.
She started to get a little nervous after dosing; we just kept the conversation light and fun. When I started to feel the warm tingling at the base of my skull, I looked over at Alex and saw her staring blankly out across the park. "Feeling anything yet?" She her head was slow to follow her eyes over to me. "I think so, something in my jaw." I assured her it was normal and we went back to getting lost in the music. Ninety minutes in, I was coming up and feeling the giggles. We all were. Even Kat, who was laughing more than the two people enthralled to the synapse war playing out in their heads. Time is always a playful with acid, it speeds up, slows down, pauses, reverses, and loops. It felt like we were laughing at things that weren't funny for a few hours before dipping into the introspective side of the trip. I checked my watch. Thirty minutes. I asked Alex, "How long do you think it's been?" She replied, "I dunno, four hours?" I announced the passage of time with a few guttural snorts. Alex's mouth opened as she lay on the blanket and the delayed blast of laughter shot into the summer sky. "Wow. I think I like acid."
We kept exchanging jokes that weren't funny and mocking fat kids on scooters as they passed by. Sometimes, a song would come on and Alex would go silent. "I never liked this song until now." I watched her, watching the clouds and trees. She looked at peace. I was ecstatic. I had done my job. I closed my eyes and let the daydreams carry my mind. I opened them whenever a stray ant found it's way onto my arm. I placed a chip in the grass and let the ants find their way from my fingertip. The urge to piss struck like happy dog jumping on your bladder. There were no public bathrooms in the park. I had to walk back to Kat's apartment. After checking my watch, I realized I was in peaking territory. A flash of anxiety crossed my mind because I didn't know if I could find my way there. I asked Kat for directions, she pointed to a building one block away and handed me the keys. I laughed at my confusion and did the stiff-legged walk of a drunk toddler back to her front door. Once inside, I again felt lost. Three floors up? Four? Fuck it. I started walking up the winding stairs and checking each door for her name on the way. I found her door, found the bathroom, and got distracted by my pupils in the mirror for a few seconds while fumbling with my pants. I unleashed a torrent of golden relief and heard muffled voices. Shit?! Who the fuck is in here? I didn't even close the door behind me. I pinched off and called out, "H-hello?" No answer. Fucking auditory hallucinations. They always get me. I finished, washed my hands and face, and laughed at my reflection for a minute. As I was leaving I saw ski poles, or maybe walking sticks, meant for someone knee-high to a bullfrog. That confused me more than anything else so far.
When I returned to Blanket HQ, I found the girls laughing at nothing in particular. I asked about the poles, Kat didn't know what I was talking about. I told them about the auditory hallucinations. Alex shot up, "Oh good! I was getting worried about the voices I couldn't understand." A smile slithered across my face. Alex returned the look. Laughter broke out and didn't die down until our stomachs hurt. The music eventually stopped because our phones were dead. We brushed ourselves off and walked back to Kat's place. Alex, realizing it was almost time to go home, was worried about her dilated pupils giving her away to her mom. I assured her that parents don't look for that sort of thing. We put her on a bus after she assured us she was ok to make it home. I went back to my rented apartment that night. Exhausted from laughing all day. I watched TV and reflected on how happy I was that I got to share the magic with someone new.