Saturday Night!

Finally the smoke cleared and I could see. Empty liquor cans littered the sand around the freshly lit bonfire. The waves were crashing gently upon the shore. I took a deep breath taking only black smoke into my lungs. My head felt light and empty and as if the smoke was wafting in one ear and straight out the other side. It was bonfire night. A small town tradition excuses for the young people of this dot on the map town to set things a light and remain free of charges of arson.

My friends danced merrily around the thick bright flame that they had just created.

The flame showed so much destruction as it engulfed every organism in its way yet it danced with such grace and innocence. The light stung my eyes yet I could not look away. It was as if it had engulfed my mind too.

I suddenly became aware of the glass bottle between my fingers. The clear liquid shone with the innocence and purity of water. But the smell hung in my nose and my throat burned. I could feel the vodka entering my blood stream and circulating. My body shook with every gulp I devoured. My head began to spin and soon my legs could no longer hold my weight up. I collapsed onto a large rock and the cold travelled up my spine. My intoxicated mind moved in slow motion.

Streams and yells were left far in the distance and people bodies moved with a strange elegance. The beautiful ballerina within the flames danced to the sweet concerto of drunken yells and giggles. Even the waves seemed to move in unison and the windmills way off in the distance fluttered gracefully in the soft breeze.

Suddenly a pain engulfed the happy hormones in my blood stream and the music seized to exist. The pain travelled through my veins and resided in my stomach. The agony was unbearable. I was doubled up with my head between my knees clutching my stomach. Everything around me faded to black and there was no sound except the ringing in my ears. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I clamped my eyes shut trying to refrain from screaming in pain.

My cheeks were flushed and a cold sweat soaked my clothes. My stomach contracted and I felt a sudden gagging sensation in my throat. Suddenly the entire contents of my stomach were lurched up into my mouth with such a force my jaw seemed to unhinge. The alcohol had consumed the food within my stomach and so had begun devouring my stomach. The vomit brought with it some of my delicate stomach lining and my mouth tasted of blood. My stomach eventually relaxed and I collapsed backwards onto the sand. My breathing was heavy and loud. I felt someone’s arms around me and tug but I my eyelids felt so heavy I couldn’t keep them from closing and everything faded slowly into the distance.

My head pounded before I even blinked. The stale smell of vodka and vomit hung on my clothes. I fought back tears as I gulped a breath and the pain grasped my stomach. I recognised my surrounding as my familiar bathroom floor. I slowly got to my feet with ease. I grabbed the sink to hold my frail body and stared into the mirror. My gaunt reflection showing the dark circles beneath my eyes, my make up wiped into my sleeve and my many imperfections all on show. My memory was a haze of sea and air and I smiled to myself and welcomed another Sunday morning.