The rest of the evening at the fair seemed to all blend together into a virtual collage of loud music, strange smells, crazy colors and odd looking people.

The only part I could really remember vividly was at the end of the fair, while I was waiting for my ride. I was standing at the entrance/exit gate when four of Kates friends, whom Id met at her school, came walking towards me. For some reason I wanted nothing to do with them so I turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction, back into the fair grounds. When I turned around they where still there, all four looking straight at me. I thought I heard one of them mumble something like, Id slap him if I were you. Hearing that made me walk faster, and I started looking for a place to hide.

On the other side of the stage, where the guy who was giving me a ride was helping the band pick up their things, there was a large, white van. As soon as I got around the corner of the stage and out of sight of the girls I jogged over to the van and squatted behind it. Some of the band members gave me a strange look and I motioned for them to keep quiet. I waited there as the girls walked past and were surrounded by the people at the carnival.

When the girls were completely out of my view I came out from my hiding spot and watched, listened, and smelled as the world turned back into a blur.



In the parking lot in front of Carrises; standing on the Columbia River beach; staring at the bonfire and the people dancing around it like Indians wanting rain... Next, knee deep in the river, chain smoking Camels, watching the clouds fly under the surface of the black water like a documentary about Africa during the Rainy Season... Back up on the beach, walking along the shore, looking for a place to throw up... Lying in the sand, head on a log, watching the stars fall into a giant black hole in the middle of the sky. Stars start coming back out; Im flying through space in an invisible flying saucer. Josh comes up asking for some drugs; I hand him a bag of something. The cherry on my cigarette starts dancing like the people around the fire. Theres an old guy standing on the beach over there, I didnt invite any old people. Beside the bonfire again, fire people jumping out of it into partiers cups of jungle juice.



By two in the morning Id pretty much come down from the acid but was going full on the crank. Of course, my brain was still quite a bit off kilter.

When everyone was ready to leave Sand Station a guy named Nick gave me the keys to his car and told me where it was. Its the very first one in the line. Go open it and get it started. Im gonna help these guys with the juice.

I walked up the steep trail of sand, slipping every couple steps. When I got to the top the edge of the highway I started walking down the line of cars until I got to the front one. I stuck the key in the passenger door and tried to turn it. It didnt move so I tried the other key. This one turned but when I tried to open the door it was still locked. I put the key back in and turned it again. This time the door opened. I pushed the front seat forward and got in the back of the car.

I thought it would be a good idea to check how much of my personal drug stash was left. I could hear voices around the car but when I looked out the window there was no one in sight. I took the bag of crank out of my pocket at least three quarters left. Then I took out the square of tin foil over fifteen hits of acid. I broke four off and put them in my mouth. I put everything back in my pocket and sat back.

Suddenly, the voices that Id heard a little bit ago became clear and I could see where they were coming from. An old man was standing on the drivers side of the car with the door open. He was reaching into the car, trying to grab me, asking what the hell do you think youre doing in my car?

I pushed the seat forward and jumped out of the car as fast as I could. I looked behind me to see if the man was going to chase me. I caught a glimpse of a pen hanging out of his shirt pocket. Immediately the pen turned into a shiny star, a police badge. Then the mans clothes changed too. Not even a secong later the man was dressed in full police garb. I turned back around and started running.

I saw another car in front of me. Standing around it were some people I recognized from the party. I ran to the car and saw Nick sitting behind the steering wheel. I threw the keys at him, ran around to the other side, and jumped in the car. I didnt have to say a word before he knew we had to get out of there fast. He started the car and hit the gas, throwing gravel at the old mans car behind us.

Later I found out that he left so fast because everyone else was gone and he was just waiting for me. He didnt know where everyone was going and wanted to catch up with them.

Sometime during the ride I had looked out the window and watched as we passed about ten cars that were parked in the right hand lane. Then, when someone mentioned the fact that Nick was going over one hundred miles an hour, I realized that those cars on the side of the road were actually moving, not parked, and were probably going about fifty miles an hour themselves.