“I can’t let go of my grandmother.” He said firmly, shocked to see the old man sitting next to him, Indian style as well.

The old man shook his head.

“It’s about letting her go like a dove from your hands. It’s letting the thought of her go. While her memory will always exist in your heart, know that she too, will no longer be here one day. You must learn to accept all things that live, must die. Accept the inevitably of it, but do not let the sadness of it defeat you. One should not mourn death, because it frees us from our physical suffering, and allows us to return to creation once again for a much needed rest. You know the feeling of the glory of creation already. Understand that through death, we do not just touch creation, we dwell within its light.”

The old man stood up.

“Wait here.”

He left from the room and the boy could hear him rummaging around inside the storage room. The old man returned with a bag of mushrooms, a wooden tray, a jar of weed, and rolling papers.

“Your mind is clouded with too much stress. We must ease your worries and open your mind up so that you may not only begin to find the doors that are necessary, but walk through them as well.”

The old man opened the weed jar and poured the contents onto the wooden tray.

“Open the fridge closest to you and get a bottle of water.” 

The boy opened the fridge, discovering that the entire thing was filled with bottles of water, except for the bottom shelf which had various fruits such as bananas, lemons, oranges, and exotic ones he had never seen. He grabbed a bottle and closed it, curious now as to what contents were in the second fridge.

“You’re gonna need that.” Said the old man as he sealed the joint he was rolling, placing it to the side as he rolled another. “How much weed are we smoking?” Asked the boy.

“This ones for me.” Said the old man. “This morning has got me stressed out too.”

In total, the old man rolled 4 joints. He handed the boy one and lit it for him, lighting one himself before giving the bag of mushrooms to the boy.

“Eat all of it.” He told the boy.

The boy opened the bag and poured the contents into his mouth, washing it down with the water as he continued to smoke the joint. After they had finished, the old man put the tea pot on the hot plate. He opened the drawer to his nightstand removing a small bundle of herbs.

“I tie these together for when I need them. Chamomile and mint is this one, good for stress relief.” He placed the herbs directly into the pot, pulling two small cups from beneath the table along with little packets of raw sugar and honey.

“Grab a lemon from the fridge.” He said.

The boy tossed him the lemon, which he sliced into quarters. The old man removed a small strainer from his utensils just as the teapot began to whistle.

He strained the tea into both cups, adding in the sugar, honey, and squeezing in one quarter of the lemon for each cup. He stirred each cup with a spoon, then handed the cup to the boy. The boy was already high from the joint, and could feel the mushrooms starting to take effect on him.

“Drink.” Said the old man.

The boy burnt his tongue, again.

“Careful it’s hot.” The old man said slyly, smiling as he sipped his tea slowly.

The boy began to sip his tea slowly as well, imitating the old man as he blew on it. The cup felt heavy in his hands, it began to look wavier the longer he stared at it. They sat together in comfortable silence, sipping tea as the old man lit up another joint, taking a few puffs before giving it to the boy.

“Another one already?” Said the boy, feeling very relaxed.

“Yes, your mushrooms are about to kick in and you need to be able to fully immerse yourself into your mind.” The old man said as he handed the joint to the boy.

The boy sipped tea and smoked weed with the old man, yawning as he passed the joint back and forth.

“Good.” Said the old man as he looked at the boy, who felt completely inebriated. “Now let’s start again.”

The thought of clearing his mind now seemed like such a daunting task, but he was ok with it and felt as if he was more ready now than he was before.

“Ok.” Said the boy.

He sat in his cross legged position and decided to put his hands palm up on his knees, linking his finger and thumb together like all of the monks he had seen meditate in movies. 

He took a deep breath in through his nose, and exhaled slowly through his mouth. He could feel his body vibrating, swaying in place even though he sat completely still.

Next Chapter: Meditation