Wordvember Writing Challenge: Slime

Things are about to get weird

The homeless man lay in the fetal position on the park bench, his stomach clenching. He couldn’t tell if it was hunger or the need for a fix that was at the root cause of the pain, but given the lack of money in his pockets, it was going to be a while before he was able to satisfy either of his needs.

He pulled himself into a tight little ball as another wave of cramps ripped through his guts. Tears streamed from his eyes, making the world around him blurry around the edges. The only thing that looked clear to him was a snail moving in front of the bench, the trail of slime in its wake shimmering in all the colors of the rainbow.

All feelings of pain departed as he focused on the snail, which turned to look at him, its little antennae swaying back and forth in a hypnotic motion.

Lick the slime!!

The thought popped into his head, unbidden, and it felt like the best idea he’d had in quite some time. Reaching down, he drags his fingers through the slime and jammed the digits into his mouth, sucking like a babe on the teat. His eyes rolled back in his head as the slime slipped down his throat and coated everything it touched during the descent.

The homeless man stood arms spread wide. The pain was gone, and when he opened his eyes, the world seemed to shimmer, painted in vibrant colors that should not exist in nature. For the first time in years, he felt a sense of hope, a sense that he could repair all the damage done through years of addiction.

A huge smile spread across his face as he stepped forward, the first step in a new direction. A loud squelching sound reached his ears as he stood on the snail, its innards blasting out in all directions in a multi-colored explosion. The man keeled over as though punched in the stomach, the pain returning full force to his gut.

He stumbled backward and fell onto the bench, rolling over into a fetal position, eyes clenched shut. When he opened them again, everything was back to being blurred. Thoughts of a new life drifted away like dreams do upon wakening.

The homeless man thought of food and drugs, and he wept, knowing that neither option was coming anytime soon.