He was feeling a bit down, so he reached into his cupboard for the magical elixir.
He didn’t want to take too much, it was his first time, and he heard it was potent. The store owner had warned him to be careful with the stuff. The recommended dose was only a couple of drops.
He unscrewed the bottle cap and took a few cautious sips. It tasted gross. He couldn’t believe this foul-tasting thing could make him feel better.
He put the bottle back into the cupboard and went for a walk.
The sky was blue and the grass was green.
He waited for the magical elixir to kick in. What would it feel like? When would he know it was working?
He kept walking. Past the daffodils and barking dogs on his street. He thought about his to-do list; his email; his plans for the weekend.
He looked around to see if any of his neighbors were outside.
And that’s when it happened. He started feeling… better. Slightly tingly. A little giddy.
The magical elixir was working!
He smiled with delight. A deep swell of joy pumped through his whole body. It felt so good.
Was this happiness? Could this feeling finally be his? All it took was a few sips of the magical elixir. He couldn’t believe it. Why wasn’t everyone doing this?
He giggled and skipped the rest of the way home.
He went into his kitchen, opened the cupboard, and examined the bottle.
There was nothing special about the packaging.
He set the magical elixir back down and proceeded to blast through his to-do list and finalize all of his weekend plans with ease.
At the end of the night, he reclined on his couch and smiled a big smile.
All I’ve been missing this whole time was a little magical elixir, he thought.
The next day he woke earlier than usual. He was a little sleepy, but nothing out of the ordinary.
He remembered the joy he felt yesterday. The magical elixir. What an amazing sensation. He didn’t feel quite as joyous this morning, but he couldn’t be cheerful every minute of the day.
He got out of bed, brushed his teeth, and ambled into his kitchen to make coffee.
As the kettle heated, he opened the cupboard and grabbed the magical elixir.
He didn’t dare take it in the morning. He thought of it as more of an afternoon indulgence, but he wanted to hold it, to examine it, to make sure it was still there.
The kettle hissed and he made his coffee, went to his desk, and started grinding through work.
He sat, typed, and sipped. This was how the day passed.
Every once in a while he would get up and go to the kitchen, open the cupboard, and look at the magical elixir. Even though he wasn’t going to take it during the workday, looking at the bottle gave him a little jolt of energy. Something to look forward to after work.
As soon as he sent his last email, he raced to the kitchen, opened the cupboard, took out the magical elixir, and took a few sips (less cautiously than the day before).
He put the bottle back in the cupboard and went for a walk.
The sky was blue and the grass was green.
He kept walking. Past the daffodils and barking dogs on his street. He thought about tomorrow’s to-do list; his email; his plans for the weekend.
He looked around to see if any of his neighbors were outside.
He waited.
Nothing happened. He felt the same. Sort of tired and shitty. The magical elixir wasn’t working...
He went back home and grabbed the bottle out of the cupboard. Maybe he needed more than a few sips this time.
He took a small-sized gulp.
He went and sat on his couch.
He waited.
It came back, the slightly tingly feeling. The giddiness. He smiled. He was happy once again.
All I’ve been missing this whole time was a little magical elixir, he thought.
He woke the next day feeling surprisingly lousy. His throat was scratchy. He looked in the mirror and noticed his face was puffy.
He went to his kitchen and chugged two glasses of water. He was abnormally thirsty.
He was feeling quite despondent about having to work today. He wanted to go back to bed and just lay and watch videos on his phone.
But he forced himself to his computer and started scrolling through his to-do list.
Everything on it seemed impossible.
How could he get anything done today? How did anyone get anything done?
And then he remembered.
The magical elixir.
It could help.
He went to the kitchen, opened the cupboard, and grabbed the bottle. He knew he shouldn’t take it in the morning, but he just needed a little pick-me-up for his work today, just this once.
He examined the bottle. There was only two-thirds of the magical elixir left.
He figured he ought to take more than he did yesterday to feel it again.
He unscrewed the cap and took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes, pinched his nose, and took down the rest of the magical elixir in one big swallow.
He felt it almost instantly this time.
A grin spread across his face. He tossed the bottle in the trash, sat down at his desk, and started tearing through his to-do list, whistling some pleasant song he heard once.
The day was his again.
Thank god for the magical elixir.
Over the ensuing weeks, he would walk to and from the store several times a day to buy more magical elixir.
He needed six bottles a day of the stuff now to maintain the feeling. The joy.
Every time he walked into the store, he felt shame buying more.
The store owner just shook his head and rang him up.
The habit was costing him a fortune.
He wanted to stop, but that would mean no more joy, and that was impossible to accept.
If this is what happiness cost, he would pay.
He woke up one morning, about two months into his new habit, barely able to move out of bed. He felt the weight of the world pressing on him. It felt impossibly heavy. He couldn’t sit up.
He turned his head and saw a scattered group of empty bottles next to his bed.
The magical elixir.
He reached for his phone and emailed his boss. He couldn’t log in to work today. He was sick.
And he was.
He checked his bank account from his phone. He ran the numbers. The amount he’d spent on the magical elixir was astonishing. He couldn’t believe it.
He picked up a bottle of the magical elixir from his bed and screamed at it. He threw it across his bedroom. It shattered unceremoniously.
It had started with a few innocent drops.
It had felt so good.
Too good.
And now he couldn’t get out of bed.
He could barely open his eyes.
All he wanted was to go back. To go back to how it was. To a less ecstatic world. To his boring feelings.
The ones he ran away from when he discovered the magical elixir.
He took a deep breath. What could he do?
The bed was swallowing him whole. Hours passed. The light changed angles across his room.
The sky was blue and the grass was green, but he couldn’t see it from his bed.