Dabbling In (Accidental) Astral Projection

“Gia, are you sure this is a good idea?” Mino asked. She was sitting right next to me, long black hair tied neatly in a bun.

“I’m pretty sure, yeah. If you don’t want to it’s not like I’m going to force you,” Mino’s expensive vaporizing rig was preheated and ready to go. The little ring around the top was green, telling me it was prime time to take my hit.

“We’ve only ever done mushrooms before, this is a crazy next step. What if I go clinically insane?” She pulled her knees to her chest, circling her arms around her long legs. 

“You already are, babe. And if you keep thinking like that, that’s exactly what's going to happen. How many times have I told you you’ll only have a bad trip if you have a bad headspace?” 

“I know. I just don’t know if I’m ready to.” 

“Then you don’t have to be ready. I, however, am.” I pick up the tinfoil my dose of DMT was given to me in and press my lips to the mouth piece. As I’m about to tip the tinfoil and let the crystals fall onto the heated nail, Mino squeals uncomfortably.

“Well I can’t let you do it alone!” Mino Tsukiko, everyone. Serious FOMO, even when faced with the possibility of losing her sanity. How Gen Z of her. I sigh and set the tinfoil down on the coffee table carefully. 

“Mino.” I cup her cheeks and make her meet my eyes. “You have to believe everything will be okay. And it will be, alright? I’m right here. It only lasts 30 minutes, max. And you only have to have as big a hit as you feel comfortable with. I already got you ¼ of a dose. If you’re going to go through with this, you cannot be scared. If you are, grab some water and put on a show. We’ll save it for another time. But do not, please, for the love of god, do not do this if you’re scared.” I watched her eyes soften. She closed them slowly, took a deep breath, and opened them again.

“Georgia. I am not chicken shit.”

“You sound pretty chicken shit.”

“I will flatten you, Wilson.” I laughed and rolled my eyes, dropping my hands to my lap.

“Yeah yeah, you wish Tsukiko.” I turn back to the vaporizer and pick my tinfoil up again. “Im serious though, if you get to this point and you’re anxious don’t even think about it. I’ll beat your ass when we both come down and you have a mental breakdown because you couldn’t handle what you saw.” With that, I press my lips to the mouthpiece and carefully tip my dose onto the heated nail. I was able to take four full, long hits before I was done. I let the smoke dance in the dim lighting of my livingroom. Mino pulled the vaporizer infront of her with resolve.

“It can only get as bad as I let it.” She said before dropping her own dose onto the nail. By the time she was done I was already seeing light fractals dancing in my vision like a kaleidoscope. Immediately after finishing her last hit, Mino shot up and ran for the bathroom. I stumbled after her, the walls blurring past me in rainbows of color. I found her clutching the toilet, vomiting violently.

“Yeaahhh, this shit’ll get ya,” Without warning, I was outside of my body. I watched as I kneeled next to Mino, rubbing her back as she heaved. I felt as if I was floating, being dragged further and further away from my body. I watched Mino flush the toilet and stand on shaky legs, being led to my bedroom by me. I watched us both lay down, and then close our eyes.

When I open my eyes again I’m back in my body. But I’m not in my bed laying next to Mino anymore. I’m standing in a park, and everyone is staring at me. The trees are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Obsidian like bark matched with an intense, impossible shade of purpley magenta leaves. White and baby pink blossoms cover each branch, a thick layer of petals leaving the ground springy under my feet. Fractals of light still danced in my vision, and the face of the very concerned lady approaching me started morphing like she was using a wonky filter.