The celebration was fun, but limited by his inability to get drunk. He understood why he had to remain sober but it didn’t make the situation any better. The advisers had warned him, and he knew the people weren’t so keen on his playboy reputation. That was acceptable as a prince, but as a king? It wouldn’t fly. Fly with who, he wondered. He was king; as long as the crown sat on his head nobody else’s opinion mattered. But he knew to be respectful to the advisers; his father had drilled that into him. At least until he could get his own men in, it would take a year maybe two to clean house. Until then he was stuck with these fools. So he had been careful, having a glass or two of wine but nothing more.

The real problem was not being able to sleep. He couldn’t even remember the last time he tried to sleep sober. After tossing and turning for hours he’d had enough. He tore the royal chambers apart, looking for anything that he could use to self-medicate. Nearly an hour of unfruitful searching later, he noticed the stack of papers that had been left for him. So he got to work.

The first folder was a dossier on other leaders in the region. He was familiar with everyone, having grown up playing with the other children in times of peace. Yet this was them from another angle, the papers having been authored by his intelligence agency. He began learning new things about these people left and right. Some of it mundane, some with political value, some downright scandalous. But nothing got a raise out of him, until he got to Yusuf’s page.

The front of the page had a photo of him and his wife, Jasmine. Their eyes seemed to be looking right at him, taunting him. Inadvertently, he ran his finger over her; she was as beautiful as ever. She should be his; no she was his. They had spent their teenage years madly in love. Summers at the lake and winters cozied up in the palace. He had never touched her, though he wished to, every fiber of his body urged him to. He knew she felt the same, but they were saving it for marriage, so outside of the occasional kiss when no one was looking they remained pure. Then he was sent to Europe for his education. At first he wrote daily, then it was reduced to weekly. Life got in the way. He was able to visit less and less as the region became embroiled in turmoil. She seemed to be traveling every time he came home. They fell out of touch, but his love never wavered.

Years later he heard the news. She was betrothed to Yusuf. Deep down he knew part of his appeal lay in the royal blood he possessed, but to leave him for another prince? And Yusuf? They had been best friends as children, even as diplomatic and by extension familial relations became strained. While they never went to war, calling them enemies wouldn’t be a stretch. And that was before Yusuf had stolen the love of his life.

He didn’t know how long he stewed, staring at the photo. Eventually he moved on and continued reading. He came across a plethora of information, dirt on Yusuf and his empire. The man’s infidelities. The secret police that ran rampart, detaining and torturing civilians. Proof of assassinations they had carried out against citizens of his nation. Those were just the start. Yusuf’s file had been the thickest, and the reason was now clear. The man was a monster. Individually nothing in there was inexcusable, for a leader must be strong but together they showed a fragile man leading a fragile nation.

It came to him, clearly what he needed to do. He scribbled furiously on a piece of paper and rang for a servant. In the morning he’d have a meeting with several military leaders and ministers. They’d begin the early stages of drawing up an attack on Yusuf. It may take a year or two to finalize plans, but that was ok. He had waited nearly a decade to have her back. He could wait a little while longer.

 Thank god he was off that ship. Forty years, trapped in the sleek metal hull hurtling through space at light speed. Sure he’d been asleep thirty-nine of those years but that wasn’t the point. Stretching his legs was nice, running around and rolling on the ground would be better. He peered out the window and looked onto the surface of RX9, the first planet for human colonization outside the solar system. And John Damon, a plumber’s son from Montana, would be the first to step onto it.

The ship rattled violently as he broke through the atmosphere and then everything went still. The danger was over, he’d made it. He checked the instruments and the readings were all correct. An expanse of water was rapidly approaching his ship. He took two deep breaths and sat back in his seat and was thrown around by the impact. he shuttle bobbed to the top of the water and he jumped out onto the raft that had inflated automatically. Looking up at the twin suns he took a moment to appreciate the beauty, it might be the last thing he ever saw. Not that he didn’t trust the science boys back on Earth, but they were making projections for a place awful far away. Then, the moment of truth. His hands unclasped the connectors on his neck and the pressure released with a sizzle and he pulled the helmet off and took the deepest breath he ever took. His lungs burned and he panicked but was still alive. A smile grew on his face, and for the next hour he didn’t move a muscle.

After a few hours of navigating he got the raft to land. The purple landmass had thrown him off at first, but eventually his eyes adjusted. It never felt natural, but became less jarring as he got closer. Something about how the-chlorophyll equivalent on this planet evolved. Based on their estimations he had nearly twelve hours of sunlight left, plenty of time to explore. So he picked a direction and walked.

He wasn’t looking for anything in particular, well that wasn’t true. His mission had no concrete objective, just to scout out the area, but he had a personal cause. Looking for life. They didn’t expect anything advanced on the planet, likely no animals bigger than the size of his hand, if they were visible at all. But he wasn’t going to give up hope. He walked for hours across the endless purple plains until in the distance he saw a hill, providing him a goal. If he could reach the top, he’d be ale to see for miles and get a better idea of what he was dealing with.

Halfway up his watch beeped. Time go back. But he was so close and if he hurried he’d be fine. He’s not a child, scared of the dark. So he continued up the hill and when he finally reached the top he looked over and his heart nearly burst from his chest in excitement. Not one hundred yards down the hill was a house. The only structure as far as his eye could see, but there was one. It was something out of the medieval era with the large stones and straw roof. Before he knew it he was at the door so he knocked and announced his presence. He laughed to himself, it’s not like anyone inside would understand him anyway. Once it was clear no one was inside he pushed it open gently and let himself in.

The inside was sparse with no technology to speak of. There weren’t even candles lit, all the light was streaming in from a window on the far side. Squinting, he leaned forward and recognized the outline of a table, then a chair, and a figure in the chair. It looked human, but was just a silhouette and was facing away from him. He cleared his throat but there was no response. He crept forward until he was right behind it and tried again. Nothing. His hand rested on the things shoulder but it felt still and stiff.

He turned the body around and looked at it and staring back at him was a corpse. His corpse. Falling backwards he slid into the corner and looked at it in horror. Then it blinked. It stood up and shuffled towards him without making a sound. He wanted to move but couldn’t, it was like his body and brain had been disconnected. When it was over him the mouth opened wide, then wider than should be possible. There was nothing in its mouth besides the blackest black he had ever seen. So deep it looked like you could fall in and never hit the bottom. He heard a scream but didn’t know which him did it.

 The halls of justice, Gabrielle thought, observing the beautiful architecture that surrounded her. Hopefully these people take what happens inside as seriously as they take the decor. In the back row she sat with a few friends and her sister, the rest of the galley was filled with press and the family and friends of the defendant, Josh. Normally he looked solemn but she swore today he wore a smirk. Always dressed in his array of designer suits, while she was forced to wear the same clothes she had to the funerals. It was the only piece of formal attire she owned.

The judge continued to blabber and she was thankful for a moment that she’d never have to hear him again. He had done a fair job and seemed a good man, however he could to talk like there was no tomorrow. After a few weeks of it she couldn’t take anymore. Nervously fingering her wedding ring, she was glad for all this to be over. The ring had taken on a different meaning since the accident. It now weighed her down, served as a reminder of what she had lost. There had been times before it had seemed like handcuffs for a prisoner, but those feelings were long gone. She missed him. And her daughters. She missed them all.

Josh had been found guilty; there hadn’t been any doubt how that would turn out. The evidence was stacked against him and even as pessimistic as she had become she wasn’t worried. But this is was different, she was nervous. Today was the sentencing and could go any number of ways. She wasn’t sure which was most likely much less which outcome she wanted. Deep down she knew. She wanted him to be thrown in a hole in the ground and left to rot. But she liked to imagine she was better than that. Jesus preached forgiveness. Did all those Sundays spent in church amount to nothing?

Finally the Judge got on with it. She sat forward, leaning on the seats in front of her, focusing as hard as she could. After he was finished speaking there was a moment of tranquility in the room before the frenzy began. Cameras flashed all around her. Josh rose in triumph and was embraced by his family. She felt hands patting her on her back.

The words rang out in her mind. “Two years probation…Court mandated rehab…Community service.” She bit her lip as hard as she could to make sure the pain registered. To make sure this was real. Everything proceeded dreamlike, as if she was watching a play in slow motion.

Eventually Josh and his entourage began to exit the courtroom, walking directly past her. She looked over at him, through the sunglasses that hid her tear-stained eyes. He reciprocated, and for a second they spent an eternity looking deep into each other’s souls. And then she smiled. Because she knew that justice will be served.

In the beginning, the boy sat in the empty room

He brought in his sets and created the world

He found the light switch and flicked it

And created day and night

He laid out green and blue

For the land and the sea

He took his toys and laid them out everywhere

Now animals roamed the land

And fish filled the oceans

Then he put down an action figure

He had created man

Soon he had filled everything with his creations

There were tales of love and heartbreak

War and salvation, death and dishonesty

All in the kingdom of his name

DINNER

The sound filled the house

He stopped and turned to leave

But not before appreciating it one last time

He sat at dinner and asked how his day was

Looking around at the table smiling he spoke

IT WAS GOOD

The celebration was fun, but limited by his inability to get drunk. He understood why. The advisers had warned him, the people weren’t so keen on his playboy reputation. That was acceptable as a prince, but as a king? It wouldn’t fly. Fly with who? He was king; nobody else’s opinion mattered. But he knew to be respectful to the advisers; his father had drilled it into him. At least until he could get his own men in, it would take a year maybe two to clean house. Until then he was stuck with these fools. So he had been careful, having a glass or two of wine but nothing more.

The real problem was not being able to sleep. He couldn’t even remember the last time he tried to sleep sober. After tossing and turning for hours he’d had enough. He tore the royal chambers apart, looking for anything that he could use to self-medicate. Nearly an hour of unfruitful searching later, he noticed the stack of papers that had been left for him. So he got to work.

The first folder was a dossier on other leaders in the region. He was familiar with everyone, having grown up playing with the other children in times of peace. Yet this was them from another angle, the papers having been written by his intelligence agency. Immediately things he never knew struck him as interesting. Some of it mundane, some with political value, some downright scandalous. But nothing got a raise out of him, until he got to Yusuf’s page.

The front of the page had a photo of him and his wife, Jasmine. Their eyes seemed to be looking right at him, taunting him. Inadvertently, he ran his finger over her; she was as beautiful as ever. She should be his, no she was his! They had spent their teenage years madly in love. Summers at the lake and winters cozied up in the palace. While he had never touched her, though he wished to, every fiber of his body urged him to. He knew she felt the same, but they were saving it for marriage, so outside of the occasional kiss when no one was looking they remained pure. Then he was sent to Europe for his education. At first he wrote daily, then it was reduced to weekly. Life got in the way. He was able to visit less and less as the region became embroiled in turmoil. She seemed to be traveling every time he came home. They fell out of touch, but his love never wavered.

Years later he heard the news. She was betrothed to Yusuf. He always knew her taste, but to leave him for a rival prince was something else. And him? They had been best friends as children, until family and by extension diplomatic relations became strained. While they never went to war, calling them allies would be a stretch. And Yusuf had stolen the love of his life.

He doesn’t know how long he stewed, staring at the photo. Eventually he continued reading. He came across a plethora of information, dirt on Yusuf and his empire. The man’s infidelities. The secret police that ran rampart, detaining and torturing civilians. Proof of assassinations they had carried out against citizens of his nation. Those were just the start. Yusuf’s file had been the thickest, and the reason was now clear. The man was a monster. Individually nothing in there was inexcusable, but together they showed a fragile man leading a fragile nation.

It was time to strike. He scribbled furiously on a piece of paper and rang for a servant. In the morning he’d have a meeting with several military leaders and ministers. They’d begin the early stages of drawing up an attack on Yusuf. It may take a year or two to finalize plans, but that was ok. He had waited nearly a decade to have her back. He could wait a little while longer.

 Ari sat on the edge of the bed, unable to stop his hands from shaking. Every few minutes they would calm long enough to make him think he had won, only for them to begin again. In his peripheries he noticed the two figures towering over him. Probably looking at his bald spot. He knew what they were thinking, what it looked like. Well fuck them. They don’t know him; he’s not like the others. His circumstances were different. And this was his first time. And the last.

He looked up at them. The one on the right seemed in charge, he had been doing all the talking. His nametag said “Robinson”. The man cleared his throat and began speaking.

“We’ve checked the room and on preliminary search haven’t found anything we were looking for: hair, nails, anything likely to have DNA on it. It’s a shame you didn’t use a condom. However you weren’t the first one this happened to. We have several descriptions and an MO. We’ll catch her soon.”

“Thank you,” Ari said slightly louder than a whisper.

“Now I need to take your statement,” Robinson said, pulling out a recorder and placing it onto the bed next to Ari. “We could take you in for it but I don’t see the need. Once I turn it on, everything will be recorded. Are you ready?”

Ari nodded and watched Robinson click the device. A bright red light illuminated, serving as a reminder of his transgression being permanently recorded.

“I need your name, city of residence, and age.”

“Ari Schmidt. St. Louis, Missouri – United States. I’m 44.”

“And what were you doing in London?”

“I’m here on business.”

“Do you have a visa?”

Ari raised an eyebrow at the officer, which was quickly answered with an indication to answer.

“Yes, but obviously not with me anymore as my passport was stolen. If you check in your systems I’m sure you can find it.”

“Tell me what happened tonight.”

“After dinner, I was bored in my room, so I went to the bar to have a drink. There was this girl on the other end, in a red dress. How could I not notice her?”

“And this is the girl?” Robinson interrupted.

“Yes, do you want a description?”

“No we have footage. Please continue.”

“So she’s sitting there, gorgeous, but I don’t pay her any attention at first. I was just going to watch some TV and have a scotch or two. Anyways, she’s talking to the bartender a bit. Soon him and I start talking and it turns into the three of us having a conversation. At some point I went to the bathroom and when I came back I sat next to her. We were talking so I figured why not. I wasn’t trying to do anything, we had been having a conversation so it’d be polite. It began getting more intimate, more her and I talking one on one, and then her hand ran up and down my leg. She was young and beautiful, what was I supposed to do? What would you have done?” Ari said, jabbing a pudgy finger towards Robinson. He breathed heavily for a second before regaining his composure. “I’m not sure what happened but we ended up in here. And one thing led to another and we had sex.”

“And she never asked for money or mentioned being a prostitute?”

“No. I thought she liked me,” he said, his head down in shame. “Then I passed out and when I woke up she was gone. I was honestly kind of relieved, sort of like it was a dream. Then I went to get my room key, which should have been in my wallet. But that wasn’t on the bedside table. I looked around for it then checked the safe, which was gone. Then I called the front desk who called you.”

“What was in the safe?”

“My watch, wedding ring, passport, and 3,000 in US dollars.”

“Thank you,” Robinson said, before switching the recorder off. “I’m going to check around the room one more time. Then forensics should be here and you’ll have to switch rooms.”

Ari watched as Robinson walked around the room, looking in the same places he had earlier, expecting some magical clue to appear and solve the case. He found nothing. There was a knock on the door and several people in matching attire entered the room, spreading out and opening their suitcases.

Robinson grabbed Ari and led him down the hall to his new room. He walked towards the door then pulled out his notebook and was ready to write.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me? Anything at all?”

Ari racked his mind, thinking through the events of the night in slow motion. Not even looking for anything important, just any information. The detectives could figure out what’s useful and what’s not. He realized he had nothing to add when he blurted out:

“I normally don’t do this kind of thing. I’ve never cheated on my wife before.”

Robinson looked directly at Ari and smiled. He closed his pen, flipped the notebook shut and put them both away.

“You don’t have to lie to me mate,” he said before walking out of the room.

 I have to write this down to now, because otherwise I’ll be laughing about it too much to remember the details. And it’s not like there’s anything else to do in here. I’m still coming down so I hope this make sense cause I’ll be pissed if I have a page full of gibberish.

This weekend we went out to Tom’s parents cabin. It was me, Tom, Joe, and Neil. We figured this would be the time to trip, we hadn’t done it since college. Joe hit up one of his sketchy friends and bam, we’re driving out here with a huge bag of shrooms. Neil gets tested for work so he agreed to babysit us, thankfully. We didn’t need a repeat of the MOMA.

So Saturday morning we make some smoothies and down em with breakfast, then hike out to the river and wait for them to kick in. I swear, that hour when they start to hit but you don’t trip yet is perfection. And today when we were looking over the water and the sun was twinkling on it and the trees were so green, AHH. We’d all go silent for a while just appreciating the beauty, or at least those of us that weren’t sober would, Neil probably just watched us and laughed.

Once we really started going we decided to hike up to the nearest “peak”, its not really that high but supposedly the view is great. We were on the way and couldn’t stop giggling, when Neil shushed us pretty aggressively. I was so mad, he always tries to fuck with us when we’re messed up. But he did it again and pulled us close.

“I hear footsteps, so someone’s coming. I’ll do the talking but just act normal until they’re gone,” Neil instructed us.

After that we kept going on the trail, trying to have fun but the moment was lost. I swear the sun went behind some clouds or something because it got darker. A few minutes later we all heard some rustling behind us and turned around. Neil approached the area, and a guy emerged from the brush. It may have been the drugs exaggerating but he looked terrible. He looked sickly and his clothes were all torn up and I think he was bleeding. We couldn’t hear what Neil said to him but the guy charged Neil! He got out of the way and threw him down but the guy kept coming at him.

“Guys back to the cabin now!” he yelled at us while continuing to keep the guy at bay.

He didn’t have to tell us twice (lol), we took the widest circle possible around the guy and started walking back towards the cabin. It felt like we were in an adventure movie, it was so much fun. None of us even thought much of the guy, in that moment it all made sense. Neil finally caught up to us about halfway back and quickly took the lead. Whenever we asked him about what was happening he wouldn’t really respond.

We stepped through the clearing and saw the cabin and it really hit me. Anyone who’s done psychedelics knows what I’m talking about. You’re tripping then you’re TRIPPING. My grasp on reality was pretty tenuous, and my motor skills really started to fade. I began walking super slow, taking it all in while the others went up to the front door. A blur of movement got my attention, and to my right was the guy who attacked Neil. After studying him I realized it wasn’t the same guy, different colored shirt, but boy was he also in terrible shape. I approached him slowly, he was making funny noises and shuffling towards me, I didn’t know how much of that was real.

My name began echoing through my head, and I turned to see Neil running at me screaming. Next thing I knew I was on the ground and the guy was on top of me scratching and gnawing. Before I could get him off Neil tackled him and began wrestling with him. I enjoyed watching them duke it out but went back inside and sat with the others. A few minutes later the door opened and Neil walked in, locking it behind him. He kept asking me if I was ok, to which I’d sort of nod, I couldn’t really talk much at that point.

We kept enjoying our trip, while Neil paced the cabin, looking at the windows. Finally I got over the peak of the drugs and began returning to normalcy. There was this pain on my arm that I hadn’t noticed until just now. I went to show Neil and he pulled my sleeve back. It looked bite marks. How weird is that! I don’t even remember biting myself or anything. He poured alcohol on it then put me in the guest bedroom and told me not to leave. He said he didn’t want it getting infected, and that he’d get me in the morning. For some reason he locked the door, but that’s probably so I don’t wander. When I sober up, I’m gonna want to get out of here though.

Today was so weird but so much fun, maybe we’re too old to handle this kind of stuff haha. I hope this makes sense tomorrow!

John

The room is hot

But I am cold

How long has it been?

My stomach churns

Sweet relief is coming

It courses through me

Then I am free