7There was a dazzling streak of light that illuminated my presence in the night. This is it, I thought, This is my time. And for a few seconds, I believed it. I was sprawled out on my back, just waiting to be taken away from this life.
But then my vision cleared, and the light slowly faded away. I saw the sky, the stars barely covered by the clouds above and realized I was still on Earth. When I rose to my feet, a slight hum resonated through my body, traveling along my bones; a sense of euphoria rushed through my immortal soul. My surroundings were unfamiliar to me, just a few houses that stood in a small cul-de-sac, it captured the essence of modern suburbia in the air.
A car started in the driveway to my left, and the parking lights illuminated the city street. They were not, oddly enough, the common every day red. No, these lights shone purple, they appeared to jump out at my eyes; the driver switched gears into reverse, and backed away from their house.
At first I began to panic, once I saw the driver staring into my eyes. Does this person know what I have done? Do they know what I am feeling at this moment, do they sense what is coursing through my veins with each off-kilter heartbeat? My paranoia was abated, however, because the driver spun their wheel and turned out onto the street, straying far away from me.
The feeling of euphoria rushed back, washing over my skin once more as it bathed me in warmth. I glanced down at my watch: 1:42, the hands read, and though I was now far past my curfew I did not feel the need to rush home. My father had been gone for three years now, and I doubted that my mother even knew what time it was or where I had gone now that her drinking binge had surely begun. It was like clockwork.
I had begun my walk at a leisurely pace so that I could take in my newfound surroundings. There were a few trees that lined the sidewalk along the way, and the neighbourhood was quite dimly lit. Even so, these trees appeared beautifully bright and vibrant to my virgin eyes. The malachite greens of the leaves danced along their branches, bringing with them new life to the dull browns of the trunk that melted off the bark, into the soil.
The sight was wondrous, to say the least of it.
I continued along my way, and a fiery demon - no, that couldn't be right - slowly stalked out of the yard to my left, and I became frozen in place with fear. Its predatory, beast-like eyes felt like they pierced into my soul, and its tail whipped about sharply as though it was ready to lash against my skin. The creature called to me softly - with a meow? - and I grew increasingly puzzled. I blinked to clear my vision, and the demon turned into a common household cat. I had to have been losing my mind to have ever thought this small domestic animal to be a monstrous demon.
My euphoria began to fade, but with its departure a sharp nag of worry and doubt set in. I looked once more at my timepiece: 3:57, has that much time really passed? I think to myself. Perhaps I should begin walking home - wherever that is. But if I decided to make my way back to my house now, I would risk ruining what had been the best time of life thus far. My mother could still be awake, and after a night of drinking there would be only fighting, tears and rage back home.
I looked to the sky and saw that I had been standing beneath a streetlamp throughout this reflection. The light was silvery yet somehow still golden, and it lit up my occupation of the shadows of the night, but even this now appeared to fade. I grasped at a small plastic bag from within my pocket, searching for my prize within. I emptied the contents into my palm and thought to myself, soon, my worries will all disappear again.
I took a deep breath and popped the pill into my mouth. I swished it around in my saliva for a few moments before swallowing it whole. I counted the seconds down in my head, and already I could feel its effects rising within me. My ecstasy built itself, and I looked down at my watch one last time: 4:05. There's still time, I thought to myself, as the streetlights glowed above my head.