I decided to move out of my parents’ house right after I finished high school. A friend of mine had a small room he was managing, so I packed my belongings and went to stay with him. Because my parents knew him, it gave them some comfort, at least. They fought me on the decision, but I fought them too. I was just tired of living with them.

If I can recall correctly, it was during my third week of staying with him that I decided to cook something to fill my belly, his, and that of a friend of his.

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As I was preparing the food, I added a herb he had left by the window. After cooking, I served myself and started eating. The food was hot and tasted fine, not to brag but I cook well. Usually I am not all over food, but I was all over this meal. I ate and would go back for more until I finished the whole food. And still wasn’t satisfied. I even went out to buy bread and a drink, but the hunger would not stop.

Not long after, my body started reacting in ways I could not explain. My heartbeat became faster, my mouth went dry, and I could barely focus on anything. It felt as though my mind was drifting far away from reality. One moment I was laughing and talking nonsense, and the next I was terrified for no reason at all, I hugged myself while shivering. The next thing I felt as though the house was collapsing around me. I started hearing voices talking to me, and whenever I tried to stand, it looked as if a massive manhole had opened beneath my feet.

Fortunately, my friend returned home and found me in that state. Somehow, I managed to tell him what I had done. The next thing I remember was drinking milk. After that, he bathed me with cold water and helped me onto the bed to sleep.

Apparently I wept for hours, I had cried for hours. I was screaming and saying I did not know what my mother would do if something happened to me. “You just were saying nonsense.”

Looking back, I can only imagine how frightened he must have been.

The thing is, earlier that day, I had overheard my friend and his other friend talking about the herbs and arguing about how potent they were. One of them claimed it would make you “think far and ahead,” and the other also insisted that even though it made you think far, it also made you speak all sorts of gibberish. I did not know much about what they were discussing, but when I saw a greenish substance lying by the window, I assumed it was one of those herbs. Without giving it much thought, I added it to the food.

Call a Friend and Ask For Thousand Cedis (A Prank)

Since then, I even make sure to check the herbs I buy from the market for food are really for food before my world turns upside down again. Me and drugs, very far from each other.

The generations after me won’t even try it.

—Coffie

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