Story Five

It was a late afternoon in the middle of August. Temperatures the highest Jersey  has seen in decades. Hundreds of children and adults pouring in from all sides of town to come enjoy a day in the local pool. Roberts Pool was the hottest spot during the summer months and especially today. Temperatures nearing 100 degrees, the entirety of the pool was filled. Water bottles floating in coolers of ice, lines of people with portable fans waiting to grab water ice from the concession stand, children running through sprinklers in the grass. It was the biggest turn out of the season. Skipping up to the entrance of Roberts was a 16 year old girl, Liberty Van Zandt. Golden skin, C cup boobs, long curly locks, with a pair of Calvin Klein reading glasses. Liberty had turned 16 only a few days prior and has been eager to get her young adult pass for the pool. Once a child turned 16, they were eligible for many perks at Roberts Pool including the young adult area. This spot was where all the popular kids from her school would hangout and discuss plans for the rest of the night. Lugging her Victoria's Secret duffle bag filled with poolside essentials, Liberty approached the gate. About 50 feet away, setting up chairs was her best friend Ember Pirate.

“Liberty! I’ve been waiting for you sis, what took you so long?”
Pirate Ember; a 6’3, brown haired green eyed, 17 year old boy. He was Liberty's best friend since they were 5.
“You know how my mom is, talking my ear off and complaining about how she cant keep a job. Typical shit.”
Rolling his eyes Pirate grabs Liberty's hand and escorts her to the area he got set up.

The entire pool had little to no shade, two trees in a small corner where the baby area was at, and a total of 20 tables with umbrellas. This caused excessive hours of disagreements at town hall meetings. Strolling up dripping in sweat and already sunburned were their other friends who have been secretly dating for weeks, Jake Long and Poison Ivy. Both carrying pink and green pool noodles and towels.

“Hey Lib, Hey Ember! Finally all 4 of us can be together, i feel like its been so long since we all just sat by the pool and got to hangout.”

Smiling up from their phone, Liberty waved hello and got up to hug them both. Poison and Jake then unpacked all their things and sat next to them in chairs. Each of them sipping on fruity frozen drinks Ember just purchased from the concession stand.

Heat blazing hotter and hotter by the minute, each of them decide to lay out and sunbath. What felt like 10 minutes scorching in the sun, Liberty slowly opened her eyes, blinking quickly to adjust them. As her eyes become adjusted she sits up and notices something strange. The entire young adult area of the pool is empty. She stands up grabbing her phone to check the time and realizes the time on her phone isnt a time anymore but foregin symbols. She frantically runs to the gate entrance looking out to see if there were people in the other areas of Roberts. No one.

Heart beating a mile a minute, Liberty quickly turned back towards the chairs where she was just laying at with her friends, and gasped. There sat, dressed in an all black suit, with a juul in one hand, and a wand in the other, a human sized aardvark. Heavily breathing, Liberty slowly walked backwards. She quickly wiped her eyes hoping what she saw wasn't real. But it was, there was a human sized aardvark sitting, staring at her. As Liberty tries to process what is going on, the aardvark stands up.

This wasn't any ordinary creature, it was 8 feet tall, with human legs and laser red eyes. The only resemblance Liberty could pinpoint was the wide snout and big floppy ears.  Breathing faster and chest beginning to tighten, Liberty takes a step forward. This strange animal raises its wand and starts speaking a language she couldn't understand. The wand gave off a bright light, so bright her eyes began to burn and a gust of wind knocked her off her feet. The light gave off so much power that it made the heat of the summer sun even more unbearable than it was before. Finally being able to pick herself off the ground Liberty looks around, the creature is gone.

Anxiously looking around, Liberty tries to open the gate to escape the pool area. Running her hands against the lock, her hand begins to sizzle. The lock was melted shut. She looks around trying to see if she can find an exit, a person, anything. Panically searching she finds the cups Ember gave out to everyone. At the bottom of each glass was silver powder, almost resembling ash from cigarettes. Liberty picks up her cup and gives it a smell, it smells awful. Throwing the glass she begins looking around again, running around the edge pushing at the gates trying to see if something will break and she can escape. 5 minutes go by and she becomes hopeless until she hears a cynical giggle from the distance.

Liberty squints trying to figure out who it may be. Lurking by the 0-5 pools she sees the creature, but it's not alone. There behind it going miles back were thousands of mythical creatures all dressed in marching band gear. All with red laser eyes staring right into her soul. Anxious feelings coursing through her body, she fell to her knees. The sound of a cymbal was heard playing and each of them began marching forward. Her heart pounding out of her chest, she began screaming.

Now laying on the ground, hands dangling in the pool, she heard a voice. It was a voice she could recognize but didnt know where it was coming from. She slowly sat up looking around, the band was getting closer, music growing stronger, heat getting hotter.
“Liberty, wake up sweetie.”

A slight breeze brushing against her arm. Clicks of a clock heard in the background.

“She's waking up! Oh sweetie cmon, come back to us.”

Liberty's eyes slowly peeling open, she could smell fresh flowers, and feel something uncomfortable in her arm. Fully gaining sight in her eyes she looks around. She recognizes this place but only from a distant memory from when she was little.

“Oh honey, my sweet girl, my Liberty.”

Liberty looks up, its her mother. Tears rolling down her cheek, eyes puffy like she's been crying for weeks.

“Mom, where am I? What happened to me? Where are my friends?”

Her mother sits next to her holding her hand, squeezing so tight she could feel her hand losing circulation.

“Honey, you're in the hospital, we didn't think you were going to make it. The doctors said if you drank any more of that damn drink you would've been dead.”

Confused, Liberty looks around, about 8 vases of flowers rotten on the window, snow falling out the sky. She looks up at her mother, tears clouding her eyes.

“Where’s Ember? He gave us the drinks, is he okay? Where are Jake and Poison?”

Right when her mother was about to explain the doctor came in. Holding a clipboard, surprised to see I was awake and alert. Checking the machines I was hooked up to, writing things onto a paper attached to the clipboard.

Frantically questioning her mother about her friends and more details about what exactly happened, the doctor sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hello Liberty, I am so happy to see you awake. I know you must have a bunch of questions and I want to address everything so you can go back to living a normal life out of here, first I want to addre…”

“What happened to my friends? Why am I here? Where is Ember??”
Cutting her off, the doctor began to explain that hot summer day. The drinks she was given were laced. She had consumed 10,000 mg of liquid LSD, resulting in extreme seizures and partial brain damage. The doctor then calmly explained that her friend Ember was then put away for drugging half of the town with his special fruity drinks.

Crying heavily now, Liberty looks out the window, tears coming down so much her pillow becomes soaked. Faintly listening to the doctor, she sees something floating in the snowy sky. It was the red eyed, tuxedo aardvark, waving his wand pointing it right at Liberty. She screams, and tries to get out of the bed, but she's strapped in.The room starts to look different now, walls all white, locks on the door, padding on the edge of her bed.  She looked over at her mother, but it wasn't her mother. It was a child around the age of 7 in an all white nightgown, smiling from ear to ear. Liberty screams louder, she now sees the doctor and her mother who she swore was just in here gone. The child whispers softly-  

“Honey, dont worry we're all mad here.”