Monkey Business

A Change in Drinking Habits

4. You order Andre's 'Drink of the Day'. As you are drinking it, you feel it slowly transform you into something/someone else.

         Today is my day off so I figured I'd go into the Banana Bar and have a couple drinks and relax then go home and get some things done around the house. I hadn't tried this particular 'Drink of the Day' so I figured today was a good time to give it a try. Besides, most of his concoctions are amazing. I sat at the bar in my usual spot, three chairs to the right of the left corner of the bar (I'm a little odd like that). So, as I was saying, I ordered Andre's Drink of the Day. The bartender on shift brought me this drink the color of absinthe at the bottom that turned more yellow as it neared the top of the glass. Visual appeal, I appreciate that in a drink as long as the flavor and kick match the drink's looks. And boy did it ever! A few swallows in and I was no longer feeling like myself. But I wasn't really feeling drunk either. It almost felt like I was tripping. My body felt like it was morphing into something else and my vision was shifting constantly. The bartender came over and asked, "How's everything going over here?" It was hard for me to find the words to respond but somehow I did. "This stuff packs a punch," I said. "It almost feels like I'm changing into something else."
"You are," he told me. It was hard for my mind to focus on his words, hard for me to understand what he was saying. "What do you mean? I'm still me," I responded. The bartender replied, "You are still you, but you're also not you. This drink changes those who drink it into something else."

I asked, "Into something else? Like what?" He replied, "I don't know what you'll turn into. t's different for everyone. You'll turn into what your spirit truly is. I saw one man turn into a mouse and another turn into a cat. That lady over there appears to be turning into a butterfly and earlier a woman came in who turned into a man after drinking the 'Drink of the Day'. It all really depends on who, or what, you are on the inside." It was at that moment that my entire body felt flush. No, not just flush, it felt like I was on fire. "What's going on now?" I asked. "What am I changing into?" The bartender looked at me with surprise written all over his face and said, "Well, I've never seen anyone turn into this before. I believe you're the first."

"The first? The first what?" I ask. He chuckles then responded, "I believe you're becoming what you truly are, a phoenix." In my mind I said, "Well that explains why I feel like I'm burning!" But to him, I ask, "Will I stay like this forever? Or will I go back to being me at some point?"

"Oh, you'll revert back to your old self as soon as the effects of the drink wear off but I don't know how long that will be. That's different for every person who drinks this stuff too. You might be in here for two or three hours before going back to your usual form."

Four hours later, I had become bored of seeing people changing into all sorts of living things. This one poor guy actually turned into a leech! But I was tired and ready to go home and so I decided that I would walk back to my house even though I was still on fire. I think the walk helped get the last dregs of the drink out of my system because by the time I got home, I wasn't on fire anymore and was back to being my normal oddball self. I don't know if I will ever try another of the Drinks of the Day, but who knows, I might be up for something new - in a month or two.

Word count ▼

Word count: 668 not including the prompt