Tripping

“Are you high?” The words fell out of Casey’s mouth before she could even consider them. In fact a lot of words started to spill out, her state of shock driving her to ramble her scattered thoughts out loud. “Or maybe I’m high? Yeah, or crazy! This is all some freaky acid trip or something from the drugs I didn’t know I took! After all I seem to be the only one who has seen you, I am just imagining this whole thing! Next thing you know I’ll start ripping the skin off my arm or something!”

“That sounds rather unpleasant. And your peer who sat me at the restaurant seemed to have no problem seeing me.” The man said coolly.

“Dammit! That’s right, that did happen. You’re real.” Casey replied sounding grumpy about the admission she wasn’t hallucinating for some reason.

“How rude, I like being real you know.” The man sulked and Casey looked at him, halfway between a glare and a stare as she examined the weirdo.

“So who the hell are you then? What are you? And how do you keep doing all this freaky stuff?” Casey was tired of his jokes and mysteries. She wanted to know, she couldn’t move past this until she got those answers.

“Magic.” The guy said bluntly and Casey groaned at the standard sarcastic quip.

“Really? Very matu…” Casey trailed off as what he said sunk a little further in. “Wait, you’re kidding aren’t you? I mean, there’s no way right?” Casey said words stumbling past her tongue. "You're not talking about real, cause that's, wait, wait!" Casey's mind was getting nowhere as she tried to take things in but eventually it started to work again and spat out the real meaning of his words. "Oh ha ha, what you just fly in from Vegas and boy are your arms tired? Yeah magic, some fancy sleight of hand tricks. I know. How in the world did you do that one? I don't think no matter how special of a magician you are that you were able to get it to rain lighter fluid." She said looking at him skeptically.  Wait a minute if this was some magic trick that means everyone was in on it! Unless he was some kind of hypnotist? Wait then maybe she'd been hypnotized to think those things had happened! That bastard!

"Has anyone told you that you jump to conclusions a lot? You know when you make assumptions you make an ass out of u and me. And you still haven't answered my question, ignoring people hurts." He said placing his hands over his chest and giving her a pained look of reproach. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah and curiosity killed the cat, I know all the little idioms thank you very much. And why in the world would I answer you? I don't even know your name!" Casey grumbled then gave him a hard look. "So, what is it? You should at very least give me a name to call you by."

"A name is a powerful thing you know, to hand it over to just anyone is a great risk-"

"Spot, you look like a Spot to me. What do you think Spot? Huh? Do you like that boy?" Casey interrupted patting her legs and speaking in the enthusiastic tone people always addressed puppies with. He glared at her then sighed.

"Fine, it you must have something to call me by rather than that I suppose you can call me... Gren." He finally gave away with a sly smile.

"Grin?"

"Close enough. Actually I quite like that better, yes call me Grin." 'Grin' replied seeming pleased with the title. "So now you have something to call me by Casey Cork. So what will your answer be?"

"Let me think, run away with nothing but whatever is in my backpack with a stranger I met today who gives me an obviously false name to call him by. Why the hell would I?" Casey mused angrily, not believing his nerve. She couldn't figure out what his angle was, what was he trying to accomplish. Kidnapping probably but there was no threat of force just magic tricks. What kind of kidnapper tried to kidnap anyone over the age of five with something like that?

"Because you can't stand not knowing, because when I said magic your mind went first for the right answer before your logic took over, and because I find you incredibly amusing." Grin said smiling cheerfully and Casey just stared and the conversation came into full circle.

"Are you high?"

"No."

"But you just said, you just implied that you-"

"Bent the laws to physics to cause a napkin to burst into flames, wiped the memory of your friends and technology without touching them, called down a rainstorm so as to clear the streets, oops. Wasn't supposed to tell you that one." Grin said though the satisfied grin on his face he tried to hide behind the hand he placed to his lips as he admitted his 'mistake' implied it was anything but. Now though Casey knew the guy was just crazy and so must she be for caring so much about it.

"I'm out of here. I'm wet, cold, and I don't like talking with crazy people." Casey said turning, trying to force herself to ignore that part of her mind that was screaming how she still hadn't gotten her answers on how he had done those things, an answer that made more sense than-
Casey stopped in mid-step as she felt an odd sensation work its way fast from her head to her toes. It was hard to describe, like nothing she'd ever felt before so she couldn't even say what she'd felt. It took a second for her to realize what had happened.

She was dry.

Completely dry.

In a flash her hair, skin, clothes, even her sock and underwear that she had thought would take forever to finally dry out, was dry and warm like she'd just taken them out of the dryer. She put her foot that had been frozen in the air down softly, as if the strange state of dryness she found herself in would disappear if she moved too suddenly. Her head looked back to the, man? Was he a man? Could a human do what he was claiming he could do. He was leaning against the tree, still wet himself, smiling at her.

"I believe all your reasons for leaving have just been made null. Open up your mind a little Casey Cork, after all this is a once in a lifetime chance to really get your answers." He said coolly and Casey continued to stare at him. Her mind and mouth completely silent. There was no more words. No more thinking. She just nodded and watched Grin's smile widen and the offer her once again his hand which Casey shakily put her own in. "Well then come this way."

He lead her just a little down the path to the center of the park. A fountain was there, brimming full from the rain, the jets which shot up to the air normally were turned off for the night. Instead it was just a dark still pool that the wind occasionally blew ripples across, the inky darkness of the reflected sky that was still dark with clouds blocking the moon and stars was broken up by slow spreading rings and wavering expanses. Casey blinked surprised when he did not stop but lead her right up to, and into it. At this point some of her own mind returned and she stopped right before the sides of the fountain which he had already climbed in.

"Hesitating? Well that is an obvious reaction. This is the entrance to a world of mysteries for you, but to accept it you have to accept that your world will never be the same. The choice is yours." He let go of her hand and turned and to her shock just started to sink, slowly down into the water which she knew was not that deep. Unable to move or speak she watched until finally there was nothing but the still water again. She stood there staring at the pool, waiting for something though she wasn't sure what. For her to wake up, for bubbles to rise up from the surface showing he'd drowned, hell maybe even for light to suddenly blast forth from the dark water into the heavens! Something!

And what about her? What was she doing here? Standing before the fountain like some mute simpleton staring at the water with a mixture of wonder and awe in her eyes. She glanced down at her hand, remembering the feel of the leather gloves, damp since he had not dried himself like he had her. She remembered how in that hand what had been a napkin rose burst into flames. Fear began to thread its way through her mind. What was she doing? She knew nothing about him, nothing about this place, nothing about what was going on!

She wanted to know.

Casey bit her lip and climbed to the edge of the fountain. Taking a deep breath and screwing her eyes shut as tight as she could, she jumped.