This brings us to Benny….and the shrooms and all of us eating them and seeing “the light.”

Last day of training. I wasn’t sore anymore. I actually wanted more and stayed on later than most and got in some extra laps. Carmen and that wonderful smile she was done but not before she came over all sneaky and declared that Benny had some “stuff” for tonight and was I down.

‘Hey……haven’t you had enough?”

“No….not really. I was going to stay another hour or so.”

“Cool……………Shane can you keep a secret?”

“About what?”

“Ben got some mushrooms…..are you down?”

“Sure….why not.”

“Great so the usual spot around ten?”

“I’ll see you there.”

I loved watching her walk away.

She turned abruptly and caught me. Devilish smirk like she timed it just right. I winked at her. And she blushed and ran off. There was something between us. Something not in the movie…and not so much this deep rooted want….but something…..something more than a mere roll in the hay. She knew it. That’s why she called me that night…… 

Fire.

I watched the flames dance and lick the rocks around it. I see into the source. That blue spreading out turning to orange then yellow. We all wait for Benny. I call Ben….Benny. Carmen just calls him Ben. Anyway…. It’s a tribal moment with all of us in a circle. Carmen does not sit next to me. For added effect Benny wears camouflage and his blue eyes look menacing. Carmen’s boyfriend Bruce doesn’t see the big deal about “eating hallucinogens.” Ben tells him to eat first.

The bag smells musty and has a feel like its been overused. Benny he just smirks when he hands them to me. I take two and pass the bag down. I keep my eyes trained on Carmen for a minute. She notices and looks away. I go back to the flames. I lean back and I wait.

It seems the longest amount of time passes and no one can feel anything. I look at the stars. I look at the floating clouds in the cobalt blue nighttime sky. I think of the relevance of clouds and I ponder why humans can see them in the darkness at all. To my surprise I was saying this out loud. Bruce was transfixed by something in the darkness. Ben spoke of wanting to be vampire just so he could see the end of the world. Casey chimed in with wanting to drive a Formula 1 car…he even had the sponsor picked out. Belinda spoke of wanting see her dead pet turtle. She was afraid that maybe he was just sleeping and she wound up drowning him. Carmen just laughed and laughed…..the conversation went something like this……I think……