Desert Turkey

It burned inside him, a secret oven full of dreams and hopes, as cliche and girly as that all sounds. There was no getting around how weak he was to this heat in the desert.

With a deep breath, he took a handful of dried mushrooms from his pocket, then washed them down with a squirt of warm water. Any minute now. It was quiet, except for the buzzing sound of bugs around his face. He saw nothing but beige dirt, cacti, and his car, one of those modern Volkswagen Bugs in red, sitting solemnly on the highway. The car was all he had now and she looked out for him. Only downside was that she couldn't drive.

Pressing the gas was never a problem, not even when he was drunk, but steering could get tricky. Therein lied the beauty of dropping mushrooms: it was a clean high. Just you, nature and happiness. No wobbly head, no upset stomach.

He understood Prohibition and had told all his drunk friends how alcohol was artificial. It subtracted the soul from your glee. You might as well be a robot if you abuse it.

His girlfriend had dumped him very publicly in a Vegas casino. About 30 minutes later, he asked a cocktail waitress how get to Death Valley. Since he lost his girl, he figured he was free to seek beauty elsewhere.

He had been here with a group of guys in his twenties. Laying in the dirt, staring at the stars, they bonded over mushrooms. The dry desert had felt so warm that when the temperature dipped, they were toasty and didn't feel it.

His girl said he was obsessive compulsive and had a gambling problem. He didn't see it. Big deal if he liked to play a few hands, even bet hundreds. He accepted the potential loss with maturity. And he wasn't even losing! Where was her glee?

Before she walked out, she said "I'm leaving you for good!" and he believed every word. There was no ifs, buts, or hey baby wontcha cool your toes... The broad was gone. Bye bye bye, as 'NSYNC sings in that song.

The buzzing got louder; mushrooms were working. He put his hands on his face and felt warm skin. He knew he had been in the sun awhile. His face was probably turning pink. Taking mushrooms in the desert is like cooking a turkey in a toaster oven. It's a slow process and can take a lot of patience. The key is to not freak out, because the turkey is you.