Swallowed

Marnie was a little surprised to see that the interior of The Badlands was so cozy. The dim light glowing off of the warm wood furniture gave the place a relaxing atmosphere, especially with the thick scent of incense permeating the air. Everywhere Marnie looked there were cases and shelves full of books, bottles of tinctures and medicines, dried herbs, and glasswork.

“Huh… It's like something out of an old English novel,” he remarked, trying to pat the water out of his drenched hair.

“I'll take that as a compliment,” the owner replied cheerfully, closing the door behind them. “It doesn't look like the rain is going to stop any time soon, unfortunately. Since we'll probably be here a while, let me introduce myself. I'm Kaede; it's a pleasure to meet you.”

He offered a hand and a smile to Marnie, who seemed almost startled by the outward friendliness. It was like watching a rabbit decide whether or not it should accept food from the hand of a kind human. Marnie chose to accept, gingerly shaking Kaede's hand.

“Uhm, Marnie,” he introduced himself clumsily. “It’s very… nice… to meet you as well. Thank you for letting me shelter here for a bit.”

“Ah, don't mention it,” Kaede immediately began rummaging around behind the sales counter as he spoke. “Bear with me a moment, I'll brew something to warm us up—”

A loud clattering interrupted him from the cupboard that his hands were fumbling in.

“—crap. Er, in the meantime, you can have a seat in the lounge.”

“Right…”

Marnie turned away from the beautiful mess of a man to face the rest of the apothecary. There was a small and nearly hidden corridor that led away from the sales room, which he supposed was the entrance to the lounge.

The corridor didn't have its own source of light, leaving Marnie to navigate through strange shapes and shadows cast by the light behind him that bathed its eccentric decor. It was an almost unnerving experience, albeit short lived. After only a few paces, Marnie had emerged into an emerald green room with no windows.

The lounge held a rather comfortable looking wine-colored sofa, sat before an oak coffee table along with a matching armchair. Across from the sofa, on the other side of the table, was a matching lounge chair adorned with various eclectic pillows and a throw blanket. The rest of the room was adorned with books, potted plants, candles, and antique lamps and cabinets, all contributing to an overall comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.

Marnie felt his guard drop as soon as he entered this room. Since he'd always wondered what sitting on a lounge chair felt like, he chose to make himself at home there, nestled beside the velvet throw and a pillow embroidered with moonflowers. It was surprisingly cozy.

“Wow… This is nothing like the smoke shop lounges they show on TV…” Marnie remarked, looking around the room with a sort of calm excitement. On the coffee table he noticed a few scattered reading materials, including a botany encyclopedia, a couple conspiracy magazines, and a short collection of Arthurian legends.

“Here we are! I hope you didn't wait too long.”

Kaede entered the room holding a tea tray, the scent of incense wafting in behind him. He set the tray down and sat on the sofa across from Marnie, giving the troubled youth a friendly smile.

“I thought some lemon-ginger tea would help lift our spirits in this damp weather,” he said. “Go ahead and try it with some honey.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Marnie instinctively did as he was told, taking one of the teacups and preparing it with the etiquette of an upperclassman. His actions were like the second nature of a trained dog, a notion which made Kaede chuckle.

“You really aren't from this side of town, are you?” He questioned coyly. Marnie immediately sputtered when the hot tea hit his lips, caught off guard by both its strong zing and the astute observation.

“Er, no, I'm not,” Marnie attempted to answer, accepting the napkin Kaede offered him. “I was actually walking home from my therapist’s office and got lost daydreaming.”

“My, a therapist? They must not be doing their job right if you felt the need to daydream right out of the office.”

“Haha, well I can't say we made any progress.”

Marnie didn't normally open up to others so casually like this, but for some reason he felt entirely at ease. The warm tea chased the chill from his bones, and Kaede's friendly smile felt almost comforting.

“Forgive me if I sound presumptuous,” the shopkeeper began after drinking his tea. “But, if that therapist of yours doesn't seem to be getting anywhere, I might have a medicine that can help.”

“A medicine?” Marnie asked skeptically. “Do smoke shops sell medicine now?”

“Apothecary,” Kaede corrected him again. “Which are quite famously known for providing medicine. Tell me, have you ever heard of the drug RabbitHole?”

The familiar name suddenly piqued Marnie's interest.

“Yeah, I've heard of it. Why do you ask?”

“I happen to provide it here,” Kaede's face lit up with excitement. “In fact, many of my clients say that it helps improve their mental health far better than any other treatment they've received. I'm really proud of how much it's helping them.”

“It's always great being able to help people,” Marnie smirked slyly. “But isn't RabbitHole illegal?”

“Cannabis and LSD used to be illegal in America, too,” Kaede returned the cheek. “But now they're being used as specialized treatments, just as I'm sure RabbitHole will be one day soon. Never forget, Marnie, challenging the rules is how progress is made.”

Something about that notion struck a cord in Marnie. Something he couldn't place; something he didn't even know existed within himself until he felt it reverberate through his very being. In the midst of the resonance, curiosity took the reins.

“Then… What's it like?”

Kaede made a face as if he was pondering how to answer that question. A few times he even opened his mouth as if to say something, then waved dismissively or shook his head. Finally, he settled on simply not explaining at all, instead rummaging around in his pocket.

“Here,” Kaede answered at last as he retrieved a small bottle from his pocket, pulled its cork, and shook something into his palm. “It really is an experience that can't be explained. If you're truly that interested, I'll give you a dose for free. Then you can see for yourself.”

He then presented Marnie with a small, white pill. It looked plain and innocent — harmless. Could something so insignificant even be dangerous? Could it even be medicine?

Before he knew it, Marnie had convinced himself that the potential benefit outweighed the potential consequences.

In just as much time, he was taking the pill from Kaede's hand.

“Guess I've got nothing to lose…”

As soon as the RabbitHole touched it, Marnie felt an intensely sweet and almost chalky taste melt into his tongue. It lingered vaguely, even as the lemon-ginger tea washed the medicine down his throat.

But aside from that, nothing extraordinary happened.

“I…don't feel anything,” said Marnie, trying not to sound too disappointed.

“Give it a moment,” Kaede reassured him, sipping his tea. “Just relax and let it work its magic.”

“Right…”

Nearly convinced that the drug was no more than a placebo, Marnie leaned back into the pillows on the lounge chair and tried to relax. He was prepared for a whole lot of nothing to happen, besides some more light conversation as they listened to the rain.

Then, all at once, the world fell away beneath him.

Instead of being supported by soft cushions, Marnie suddenly felt as if he was tilted backwards. His surroundings were pitch black — no apothecary, no lounge, no Kaede. Nothing but a complete void and the sensation of free-falling down a dark tunnel.