"A fine drink"
Innocence is just blissful ignorance
I'll have your strongest on the rocks
The bartender holds my gaze only for a bit
To confirm if I'd really just said that
When satisfied he turned his back
And began dawdling
What he did I have no idea
It should not concern me
But his demeanor intrigued me
He looked almost sad to have to give this drink away
I guessed he must have been saving this for someone special
But as I watched longer I knew it was something more
But why should I care
And with this thought I averted my gaze
Now taking a moment to look around
I see pictures on the wall by the bar
In bold above 'warriors'
A pretty weird thing to have in a bar
Must be regulars
Again I pay no mind
Looking around again
I notice how bustling the place is
People coming and going
A couple people rush past me
One hits me on the shoulders
Saying something under his breath
What was that
What did he say
Then the sound of a cup against the table brings me back
The bartender seems to be done
Now facing me
He slides the drink across the table
In my hands I witness the brightest of gold hues
And an aroma so tempting
Lingering around almost seductively
"What a fine drink", I exclaim unabashed for all to hear
My glee palpable
Why am I this happy I wonder
I wasn't that thirsty, was I?
Wait a minute, have I ever been thirsty?
I've never craved a drink before
So why am I here?
Matter of fact
Why is anyone here?
No one drinks anything at all
Now I'm second guessing myself
How did I get here-
I walked in
There was something on the door
"Do not go in", it read
Why am I here?
I get up to leave and everywhere goes silent and still
Unnerving
Only the bartender is moving
Cleaning cups
"What's wrong with them", I ask ?
No answer.
I look around, closely now,
Paying attention to everything
They have no faces
No one bar the bartender has a face,
They're weird looking
These aren't people!
The door barely 50m away
In a full sprint I break for the door
Half expecting them to chase after me
No one moves
Everywhere silent
Out of breadth
Sprinting for the door
Was 50m always this long ?
Have I been that out of shape?
Have I ever been out of shape?
No, this is not normal
The door is not moving but I can't reach it
Pausing to take a breath
I look back and I'm still at the bar
My drink still sitting out, waiting
It all comes rushing back
The amnesia preventing me from remembering like a fog it fades away
I know why I shouldn't have come here
I remember now
Tears stream down from my face
What have I done
There's nothing I can do
Acceptance sets in
Just as I gulp down the last of the rancid gold drink
The doors swing open again
Another poor soul
Get out I scream but nothing comes out
Again trying and failing
He's at the bar now
Rushing towards him to warn him another tries to stop me
One of the faceless finally moved
Just as I get to him brushing past him
And bumping him a bit as the faceless pushes me aside
"Don't, leave right now", I exclaim.
He pays no mind to me
Doubt he heard me
I barely heard me
My features are fading
Before it's all gone I hear a gleeful yell,
"What a fine drink".