It was a warm afternoon in the late 1970s, and Dan and Kurt were lounging near the Bass Ponds in Bloomington, Minnesota. The two friends, both in their teens, had skipped school to enjoy the long summer day. The scent of pine trees filled the air, and the cicadas buzzed in the distance, but beneath the calm exterior of the day, something strange was brewing.
Kurt pulled out a small bag from his pocket. "Datura," he said, grinning. "My brother says it's insane. Wanna try it?"
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Dan hesitated, but curiosity got the better of him. They each swallowed a small amount of the dried plant and washed it down with soda. For a while, everything was fine. They sat back, talking and laughing, but before long, the world around them began to shift.
It started slowly. The shadows in the forest stretched and deepened, and the trees seemed to sway even though there was no breeze. Dan blinked hard, trying to shake the feeling that the ground was moving beneath him.
The forest no longer looked like a forest. It felt more like a sea without water, and the trees became towering structures like coral reefs, bending in impossible ways. The air grew thick, making it hard to breathe. Dan's pulse quickened, his senses heightened to the point of panic.
"Kurt," Dan whispered, "something's wrong."
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Before Kurt could respond, dark shapes moved through the trees. Dan's eyes widened as he saw them—massive sharks, gliding through the air as if swimming in a waterless ocean. Their fins cut through the branches above, and their sleek bodies moved with the terrifying grace of predators. Dan's heart pounded in his chest.
"What the hell is this, man?" Kurt asked, his voice trembling.
The sharks circled slowly at first, their enormous jaws snapping open and closed, showing rows of jagged teeth. Dan felt his stomach lurch with fear. These creatures weren't just part of the hallucination—they felt too real, too present. They were toying with them.
One of the sharks drifted lower, its cold black eyes locking onto the boys as it hovered just feet above the forest floor. Dan screamed, grabbing Kurt's arm and pulling him up. "Run!"
