text: “That’s the thing about this city.” Two Years Earlier Andrew Maye smiled as he stared out of the bus window at every attraction that the city of Fantasy had to offer. The children, treated like adults. The trees, completely naked even though it was Spring. Andrew didn’t see a single frown the whole way to his hotel. Andrew stopped and exhaled calmly in front of his room door when he arrived. A maid helped him unload his bags as she opened the door for him. “This place is amazing,” Andrew said. “How can y’all live here? This is such a vacation spot.” “All tourists say the same thing. Then they end up coming back to live here.” “I don’t blame them.” "Tea? It’s our city’s favorite drink.” “Sure.” Andrew reached for the cup of tea and smiled before he took a drink. His pupils widened and everything he imagined was happening right in front of him like a hallucination. Andrew’s heart sped up for a few minutes and he heard whispering voices in his brain. They were repeating his own thoughts back to him over and over. “Everything alright?” His temporary high had been blown after hearing the maid's voice. “Where does this tea come from?” “From here. This is the only place on Earth where you can find original Fantasy tea.” “I’d like to be left alone for the afternoon.” “Yes, sir.” “Where else I can get this?” “We have some hot tea brewing in your room and some bottled ones in the fridge." “Thank you.” Andrew shut his room door as fast as he could. He didn’t even get a chance to look around the room before running over to the refrigerator for a bottle of Fantasy tea. The Next Day “Hello?,” a man’s voice said. “Mr. Maye? Are you in there?” “Hello?” Andrew responded. “Who is that?” “This Is Fo, your personal tour guide.” “Shoot,” Andrew mumbled. “I’m coming out in a sec.” “And this is where the first school was built. I wish I had a chance to go there.” “What’s so special about it?” “The best doctors and lawyers went to this school. Rumor has it they closed it to prevent everyone from having the same level of education.” “Not to interrupt this boring tour, but I didn’t come to France to see some school that’s been turned into a museum.” “What would you like to see? I will take you to go see it.” “Right now I just need some Fantasy tea. Can you show me where to get that?” “Yes, sir. Right this way.” Fo led Andrew to the first shop he’d ever seen that served more tea than coffee. “Here we are, sir.” “Thank you. I’m going to have my drink alone. We can pick the tour back up later.” “Yes, sir.” Fo bowed before walking away. Andrew decided to sit outside since it was such a nice day out. He looked up and saw a woman staring at him. He thought it was just a coincidence and looked away. He looked up again and she was gone. Andrew scrolled through phone when a child ran over to his table and knocked his tea out of his hand as she slammed her hands down on the table. “Please, make it stop. Stop!” “What is wrong with you, demoness?” “Make it stop.” “Rebecca!” A woman yelled angrily. She walked over to the table and grabbed Rebecca by her arm, snatching her away. “I’m so sorry,” the woman said to Andrew. “Here’s some money for your tea. My daughter gets out of hand sometimes.” “I see.” Rebecca kicked and screamed. “Don’t let her take me away. She’s not my mom. You have to help me.” “People,” Andrew murmured before rolling his eyes. His waitress walked over to the table and smiled as she picked up his menu. “Have you made a decision yet?” “Um ... yes. I’m sorry, I actually had a question.” “Yes?” “The pasta salad, how is it?” “The best you’ll ever taste.” “Excellent. What’s, where’s ...?” “You seem a little jumpy. Is everything alright?” “Where’s my waitress, the other lady?” “What lady?” “She was slim with dark brown hair. Her pants were blue and she looked like a younger girl.” “We don’t have anyone here like that.” “Yes, you do. I was just talking to her.” “What were you talking about? I could probably answer any questions you have.” “No, it was a personal conversation. Thanks anyway.” “I’m sorry I couldn’t help.” “It’s okay. I’ll have the bouillabaisse.” “And a refill on your tea?” “Absolutely.” Andrew had no idea how he wounded up at a table in a casino when he opened his eyes. He had stacks of poker chips in front of him and the sound of the dice hitting the side of the table is what brought him to reality. “Whoa!” He said as he backed up frantically. “I can’t afford this. How did I get here?” Everyone around the table looked at Andrew like he was crazy. “I gotta get out of here.” Andrew hadn’t even walked five steps before he got hit in the head by a wine glass; he fell flat on the floor. “Where’s the money?” A voice behind him yelled. “I’m sorry! I don’t have a thousand dollars to give you.” “A thousand? You just made a ten thousand dollar debt for yourself in twenty minutes and I’m gettin’ my money.” “Ten thousand? I don’t even have one thousand.” “You made the bets and now you pay up.” “I don’t have it.” The man standing over Andrew looked over at a few guys and said, “let’s take this outside.” All four of them followed each other outside while one of them dragged Andrew out. The men took a turn on Andrew, punching him in the face every chance they got. He was too drunk to defend himself. They started kicking him when he fell to the ground and didn’t stop until they saw flashing blue lights. They left and so did the cops after they ensured that Andrew was okay. Andrew stood to his feet with bloodied clothes. He walked out of the ally that he was in and saw her again. The woman who he thought was just glancing at him at the cafe was now staring at him in front of the casino. Her blond hair was as messy as it was before. She looked as if she didn’t take care of herself. Her clothes were dirty and so was her face. Andrew walked a few steps closer to her and she started walking away. “Hey!” He yelled at her. She never slowed down. She just sped up. Andrew ended up following her into another ally that turned out to be a dead end. There’s no way possible, he thought. He found his way back to his hotel. The woman at the front desk greeted him on his way in, but he ignored her. He had a lousy look on his face as he entered the elevator. He finally poured himself into bed as soon as he finished a cold bottle of Fantasy tea. Fo knocked on Andrew’s door and Andrew opened it in his underwear and a an opened robe. “Yes?” “I hope you’re ready for a day of excitement.” “What are you doing here? It’s like ten in the morning.” “It’s actually 4:12 in the afternoon and, you asked me to come.” “What?” “Here’s the text message.” “I sent that?” “You sent this to me last Friday.” “I don’t remember.” “I figured you’d seen it all but I guess not. I don’t mind. You hired me to show you around and that’s just what I’m doing.” Andrew’s vision was shaky with every step he took. He walked a lot slower than usual and barely kept his balance. “This is the best place to eat in Fantasy.” Andrew was too distracted by outside noises to focus on what Fo was saying. He couldn’t even look at him as Fo spoke to him. “Stop! Stop!” Andrew said. “Is everything alright?” “No! Everything's not alright.” “Can I get you some tea?” “Not unless you have some in that bag of yours.” It so happened that Fo did have a bottle of Fantasy tea in his bag. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.” “There is something going on here. What's wrong with this place?” “Come again.” “What's going on here?” “Specify?” “For starters, it seems like everything is directed towards me. And also, my waitress disappeared the other day and she’s the only person I’ve been able to have a regular conversation with. There’s this crazy lady that keeps following me and every time I almost catch her she gets away.” “Are you okay?” “Yes, and I keep blacking out. I've never blacked out in my life. I’ve probably done it twenty times since I’ve been here and then I wake up in strange places wondering how I got there.” “I wish I could help you, but you’re confusing me. I’ve never heard of such.” “Fine. I’ll take a picture of the crazy lady next time I see her.” “Make sure you have her consent. It’s a felony here to take a picture of someone else without their consent. Most of us just abstain from using cellphones.” “This place is crazy. You people are crazy. One more crazy thing and I’m packing my bags and leaving.” “We really enjoyed your company, but we respect your choice.” Andrew finished the bottle of tea in his hand. “Why is this tea so addictive?” “I'm not sure.” “It was rhetorical, smarty. I’m going to get some more. Show me the nearest place around here to get some.” “Yes, sir.” Andrew and Fo walked through a crowd of people. Every person that Andrew walked past stopped and stared at him. He didn’t have to look back at them to feel their eyes piercing him. He kept his head forward and tried to avoid eye contact with anyone. He walked into the shop and refused to move forward after everyone was already staring at him. “Is there somewhere else we can go?” “This is the last shop open for the night.” “Fine. I'll wait while you go get it.” “Yes, sir.” The staring got worse as Andrew stood outside waiting for Fo. Some looked away when he caught them while others continued to stare. Andrew decided to go inside after all and instantly regretted it. Everyone had scary smiles that creeped him out. Not only did they stare, but they whispered amongst themselves about him without breaking their focus. “Just grab the tea and let’s go. I don’t feel good.” “Yes, sir.” Andrew kept to himself for a while. He had to. When he walked down the street, he was stared at. When he opened the door to the balcony, he was stared at. There was nothing he could do to escape. As usual, Andrew drunk a bottle of Fantasy tea and fell asleep wherever he was. There was a noise in Andrew’s room that even he couldn’t ignore through his deep sleep. He opened his eyes and looked around. There was nothing. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes again. Before Andrew could even question himself about the noise, he opened his eyes and saw blond hair right before he got his mouth tied up. The woman leaned closer to him and whispered, “Make a sound and you will regret it for the rest of your life.” She removed the cloth from Andrew’s mouth and he sat up. His heart was beating so fast he thought he was experiencing a heart attack. He didn’t know what to do besides breath. “Don’t look so alarmed. I’m not going to hurt you.” “Who are you and what do you want?” “I want to help you. I know I look like I live on the streets but that’s only because I do for right now. But, I’m not homeless. I have a home. I just don’t live there anymore because my husband checked me into a mental institution.” “What does that have to do with me?” “He told the cops he wanted to have me admitted because I was telling crazy stories about this city, but I know for sure that he only did it to make room for that college girl that’s only with him for money and status.” “What crazy stories?” “As you know, I’ve been following you. I try to get through to someone every time someone comes here. You’ve seen crazy things and, they all have answers to them.” “Please help me understand this place.” “Your waitress, she never disappeared without a trace. They locked her up because she was trying to ask you for help without actually asking you. That’s probably why you were so into the conversation, because it made sense. That little girl that ran over to your table is a prisoner. Most of the children work in Fantasy tea factories when they’re little.” “Why?” “That’s just how it is. Children are treated like adults here. That tea that you love so much is made by children making less than a dollar a day. They don’t have safe working environments either. The tea also makes you loopy. That’s why you pass out so much. You do so much while under the influence of that tea and don’t even realize it. You made a fool of yourself a few times. That’s why it’s offered to you so much. They want you to keep drinking so you don’t have a straight head.” “If half of what you’re saying is true, then why are you the only one that has a grip on reality?” “I used to be one of you. I was a tourist that went to parties every night and I drunk myself crazy. After I caught my husband cheating I started drinking the tea a lot more. It made me realize that the tea was the reason I blacked out so much. That’s why I stopped and it made me realize that things around me weren’t normal. I’m not the only person in Fantasy that has a straight head. Most people aren’t open about it because they know the consequences. You need to get out of here and don’t come back.” “No, you need to get out of here.” “I’m trying to help you.” “I’ve been recording this whole time and the cops are on their way.” “No!” Angelina shrieked. “Please, don’t do this. This may be your last chance. You are ruining your life. You have to call it off.” “Get away from me.” “Please, don’t let them take me away.” The cops came storming through the door. They recognized her instantly and pinned her to the ground as she screamed. They dragged her out of the hotel room in handcuffs. The head officer stopped by Andrew on the way out and said, “You don’t know how much you’ve helped. We’ve been looking for this one for a long time.” “Wow. I should’ve called a long time ago. This wacko’s been following me since I got here.” “Thanks. You really don’t know how appreciative we are.” “Goodnight, officer. I’m glad I could help.” Andrew closed the door and took a seat in the nearest chair. He may have sent the only sane person in that city to jail and the thought stuck with him for the whole night, tearing him apart. Andrew looked at everything in a different way. He heard Fo’s voice in the background but didn’t care to listen. “Tea?” Fo said to him. “No.” “Why the sad face?” “You need to tell me what’s going on in this crazy city.” “What’s going on?” “That’s what you need to tell me. I had a few crazy things explained to me, but I need to know more. I saw a woman get tased in front of me last night.” “What kind of crazy things?” “You didn’t tell me that kids make this tea. They treat them like slaves. What is in this tea that makes it so addictive?” “Look around.” “What am I looking at?” “The trees. The leaves are the main ingredient. Now that your eyes are open, we don’t have to treat you like an outsider anymore.” “Yes, you do. I'm not a part of this society.” “You were the one that accepted our invitations. You came to our parties. You even came to the one that we threw for you on the night of your arrival. That was for you, Andrew.” “So, people just come here, lose their minds, and then join the way of life?” “It appears so.” “I won’t be a part of it. I’m leaving here tonight.” “I fully support you.” “You don’t think I can do it?” “I know you can. I’ve seen you do it.” “What are you talking about?” “You’ve left here five times in the past two years. You keep coming back.” “Two years? I haven’t even been here one year.” “How much of that tea did you drink? You’ve been here for two years. You’ve also left multiple times, but you keep coming back.” “Why? What have you people done to me?” “It’s not us. It’s you. No matter how far you go, no matter where you go, you’ll always find your way back to Fantasy.” “I’m stuck here?” “No. You could sober up, but it takes five years to sober up, almost impossible.” “Why is this legal? Y’all are poisoning people.” “Yes, we gave you the tea, but we’re not making you come back. As long as you’re under the influence of Fantasy tea, you’re going to come back. Tipsy equals trippy. Trippy equals risky. Risky equals dummies and dummies are what keeps this place busy. That’s the thing about this city.”