The Poison

“We drink the poison our minds pour for us and wonder, why we feel so sick?”
- Atticus

“Do you need another drink?” she questioned.

I smiled and held my goblet up. “Yes, I need another swig, maybe a double this time” I demanded.

“What’s your poison?” she questioned. “Love, isn’t it?”

“It has been so far, but it doesn’t work the same way as before, takes me longer now to succumb to it and I get impatient and throw my glass away half way through it.” I replied.

“What else can I offer you then?” she asked.

“I need something that I can pour down my throat in a flash. I don’t care if it sets my guts on fire as long as it sells my sobriety to crapulence instantly. It should make me convulse and double up on the floor and should allow my intemperance to sever all ties with my human side. It should be potent enough to liberate me from shackles of social obligations and equations of all relationships.” I replied and looked at her quizzingly wondering if she understood. 

”I may not have anything exactly like that but would you like a tall glass of bright red lust instead? It is seasoned with flakes of indifference and is served in a silver chalice. You will perhaps enjoy feeling the contours of the container and may find it delectable. However, you should only allow yourself small sips and not gulp it down” she asked and pointed to a luxuriant crystal flask on the shelf.

”I don’t know, I can give it a try but maybe I need something that brings about a lasting inebriation. I don’t want to wake up dehydrated and thirstier than before. Is there something that can give a form and voice to my brazen audacity; something that allows me to set my veil ablaze and kneel naked before my inner devil without shame?” I questioned.

”Well, I happen to have casks of religion that are few centuries old. There are multiple flavors and several shades of saffron, green, white, black and a few others if you would like to check. It is usually served with a mixer of faith and myth and on the cubes of broken societal norms but you can create your own variant if you wish. It is really a popular drink with a large fan-following and you can either cherish it with a large group or alone” she answered.

I mused on the option for a moment and replied “Hmm.. I am sure it is popular and really works out well for the masses, but maybe I am not cut out for complicated concoctions and cocktails. I think I may want to keep it simpler at the moment.”

”Here, let me offer you something special then. It is called Disenchantment. It pours down as a viscous, dark, sludge and as you begin to relish it, transforms into a sweet honey nectar, golden in color and light as air. It is highly addictive though. It will envelope your being and you will forever be in a trance. There is no better intoxication than this but it comes with its own peril. It may take you several months to fully age and be the wonderful color of sunshine from the black tar it starts with and will take you some time to completely acquire the taste.  Also, You can only enjoy its experience in solitude and you must not hold back on the quantity you pour. It will introduce you to an ocean inside you and drown you in it. Your words will then cut through your body and float on the surface as a froth that will either attract parasites or be lost as vapor.” Her eyes shone as she described it.

”This sounds perfect” I quipped. “Get me a bottle, please.” I emptied my entire wallet at her counter, picked up the thick rimmed, heavy bottle that looked like the color of night and walked out.