The Sphere

Chapter 27: Happy Juice

The next day, everyone passed out as soon as we got back from the river, except for me. I was pretty exhausted too, but I just couldn't fall asleep. After a while, I decided to get out of bed and make my way downstairs to the second floor. I had this urge to go to the room where Eddie had been playing the piano earlier. As I entered the room, I took a quick look around and saw that it was empty, except for the piano and the brown guitar I had played before.

I grabbed the guitar and sat down next to the piano, facing the window. I strummed the strings and started playing "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" again. At that moment, I could feel a surge of confidence and played it even better than before. I poured my heart and soul into the music, maybe because I was all alone in there, with no one to judge me.

Suddenly, a man's voice echoed through the room, interrupting my little unplugged concert. I turned towards the door and there was Eddie, standing there and giving me a big round of applause.

"Wow, Marina! You're amazing! Oh my God, Eddie! How long have you been here?!"

"Since you walked in just now. I saw you sneaking a peek and entering this room, so I stayed quiet to see what you were up to," Eddie chuckled.

"Oh gosh...this is so embarrassing!"

"Don't be ashamed! You did great just now. It seems like the other day was just a rehearsal. And your voice isn't bad either..."

"Really? I've heard that from others, but I wanted to hear it from you, Eddie."

"I swear, Marina!" Said, Eddie. "Where are all your friends, Marina?"

"They are all sleeping. Tired from enjoying the river."

"For real? Were they kayaking or doing a white water rafting or what?" he thought it was funny, as did I, because what we really did there was just dipping our bottoms in the shallow but cold water.

"You tell me!" I laughed.

"Well since you are here, I have something to share with you.."

"What is it?"

"Come let's go to the kitchen!"

"Kitchen, again? What are we going to bake this time?"

"Just follow me!"

"All right, all right!" I followed him down to the kitchen. He then took out various kinds of fruits from a basket. Papaya, banana, pineapple, Chinese cucumber, as well as seeded, cold rambutans from the fridge.

"What are you gonna do with all these, Eddie?" I asked, completely puzzled.

With a smile, Eddie began peeling each fruit one by one. I offered to help, but he insisted on doing it all himself. He wouldn't even let me touch anything on the table, claiming that it had to be his exclusive creation.

Well, fine by me! I never really enjoyed peeling pineapples anyway. Who does, really? So I just stood there, observing Eddie's fruit-peeling extravaganza. Once he finished, he roughly chopped up all the fruits and tossed them into the blender. After blending them into a smooth mixture, he added some cola and soda, blending it all together once more. Finally, he poured the concoction into a massive jug.

"Now, would you kindly give it a try, madam?" Eddie poured some into a glass and handed it to me.

"Is it any good, Eddie? Aren't these fruits a bit harsh on our stomachs when mixed together?" I questioned sceptically. Pineapples, in particular, didn't have the best reputation in my mind. The last thing I needed during this short vacation was an upset stomach.

"Just give it a shot! I've had it a million times and nothing's ever happened to me. Except for feeling happy, of course," Eddie reassured me.

"Happy? What did he mean by that? Now I became more skeptical. He made it sound like it would give you a high or something. I knew they were just fruits, after all. But who knew that the combination, mixed with some colas, would make you as high as a kite? But I gathered my courage and decided to give it a try.