GodSmoke - The Ultimate Pill

A drug has been outlawed decades ago that has a fifty-fifty shot at making the user incredibly intelligent, or completely insane. He holds the last pill in existence.

Drug control has always been a foolish concept. If someone wants to shoot their arm full of heroin until they meet their creator, then that's their choice. I never understood why the government would protect grown adults from their destructive decision making. Those people are weak and they are doing nothing but polluting our gene pool. Foolish b******s.

As for me, I've never been one to shy away from drugs. Someone has a little bit of ice? Better give me a hit of that s**t. Oh, we are coming down now, we better suck up an eight ball to get back up. Ah, hell yeah, that's a good idea. Rinse and repeat throughout the weeks, exchange and add different highs, and now, you're living like I live.

But today... today has been different. I've always dominated my personal war on drugs. And by that, I mean I am still alive, somewhat coherent and breathing. That my friends, is domination in my world and I am proud of it. But back to today, today is different because I'm at a crossroads in my pursuit of domination. I may have possibly met my arch nemesis, the creme de la creme of all substances, the drug lord of drugs, the one that just may just beat me. It's a drug only spoken about through vague rumors and for the most part, only the incredibly rich have access to it.  They call it GodSmoke.

My phone rings.

"Benny, I got some s**t that I've come across... I think you may want to try it" said my drug dealer of 15 years, Tony the Crank Bank. Yes, that's what we call him and I think you can make your own assumptions as to why.

"Tony, you sound a little too excited. Why do I feel like this may kill me the second it hits my bloodstream?" I say back, my tone obviously upbeat about the new high.

"Benny, Benny, Benny, come on man! I'm not trying to kill you. I'm trying to change your life."

"Change my life? Tony, it's a damn drug. I take it, I get high as hell, then I come down back to my abysmal existence hating my sober life" I say with my normal, irritable tone. Drugs will do that to you.

"No Benny, not this time. This is GodSmoke, this is the king of drugs. It hasn't been seen since the 50's. It was outlawed and destroyed all over the world by NATO but I guess some rich b******s horded some. But, Tony the Crank Bank, has his connections and managed to acquire one pill." he says, arrogance dripping all over his words.

"Ok, then what does it do? How does it feel? Am i going to hallucinate or what?" I ask, my curiosity peeking as high as it can be.

"Benny, I'll be very upfront about this one and trust me when I say I am not exaggerating about any of this. GodSmoke works in two ways, and two ways only. You take it, you wait an hour and you either gain intelligence beyond anything you could imagine or you go absolutely insane. There's not a drug more potent or more straight forward than that. It's a fifty-fifty chance."

This is as serious as Tony has ever been with me and if I wasn't so high on a blunt that I just smoked, there wouldn't be any doubt that Tony was actually showing a little concern about my inevitable choice.

"Alright, I'll do it" i say without hesitation.

"Just like that, man? You aren't even going to consider the outcome?" he says, shocked as if he didn't know my answer already.

"No man, I've never backed down from a drug. Why now?"

"Alright buddy... My conscience is free. I'll be over in five."

Ten minutes later and I'm here, staring at this little pill. It's an off-white colored pill, circle in shape, with the letter GodS inscribed on the side by it's maker. I'm sitting on my couch, hands resting nervelessly on my thighs. My eyes fixated on this pill and the half filled water glass that's sitting a few inches from it on a coaster. This pill is taunting me, mocking my pride and testing my will.

I begin to sweat as I contemplate the repercussions. My family thinks I'm insane, my friends think I'm insane and I think I'm insane. I have nobody who truly cares about me and the only person that does seem to care is my drug dealer who happens to make thousands of dollars off of me. What do I have to lose? All I do is eat, breathe, sleep and take copious amounts of drugs. That is insanity and it's a sad existence. It's not like me going insane from this pill would change much. I decide and rationalize it this way. If there was a pill for me, then this would be it.

I reach down, time seems like it's moving abnormally slow. My pointer finger and thumb are gliding gently down towards the pill, it's surface touches both simultaneously, I apply pressure and the pill is picked up, ready to go. Without thinking, I grab the water with my other hand, take a small sip and pop the GodSmoke in.

An hour passes and I am sitting, staring blankly at the wall. I feel absolutely nothing. There's no body high, there's no sudden rush of energy and I am definitely not hallucinating. What is going on?

Three hours pass, still nothing. I decide to lay down and sleep for the night in hopes of it activating while I fade away. Oddly enough, I sleep the best I have in years.

I wake up to my phone ringing.

"Benny! Man, I've been worried about you." Apparently, he's called me over ten times.

"How was the GodSmoke? What do you feel like?" he ask, full of anticipation.

I hesitate longer than normal, as if I am trying to figure out how to answer the question.

"I don't feel anything Tony, I think it's a dud man."  That was a truthful response; I really don't know if it worked.

"Well s**t! You want to try to mix it with something? Some weed or maybe a little cocaine?" He goes into his normal sales pitch.

I become angry as he pivots towards selling me other other drugs. My mind begins to race with insults at his ignorance. His tone of voice, how stupid he sounds on the phone irks me towards no end. Who does he think I am, some f*****g bum with no life? I'm a busy man with plenty of things to do, I don't have time to take some simpleton's drugs for a quick escape from reality. I own reality.

"F**k off Tony, I don't need any of that" I scream at him, hanging up immediately.

I put on the nicest clothes I have, I slip on some comfortable shoes and I head to the Library.

I got this urge... This urge I can't explain.

I just need to read. Yes, that's what I want to do.

I want to read.