Sebastian Fingerlos

Magic Mushrooms
Just imagine. You. And the world. Sitting there and listening to some sad music. You are thrifting through alternative
timelines. But you feel lonely. Suddenly you hear a loud ringing noise. You look around wherever you are and see
nothing that could be the sound. Suddenly you get kicked out of your space and see a telephone. It’s a red old
telephone. Is it yours? You just go ahead and answer the call.

This is the Friday afternoon of Phil Collins, a detective from southern London. His day has been terrible so far as his
wife left him and his children went with her. He was just waiting for better times when the red telephone rang. He
answered the call. <<Detective! I need your help. Please come here. Else I’m dead. Go to the Freedom Centre next to
that bridge in Peckham. I’ll need you here by tonight 7 p.m. Bye.>>. Nervously he looked around the room. << F#ck
what should I do? My day’s been dog water so far and now there’s this…>> Not willing to do anything he got up and
started wandering around the cold, messy office. He heard the cars driving on the highway. Suddenly there was a
cold feeling down his back. <<What if I just don’t appear? But that would be mean. I’ll just show up and I can still go
home if they do some crazy things. >>

A few hours later, at 6 p.m., he got up to leave for the customer’s task after drinking some gin and smoking cigars.
He got dressed just with some Nike Techies and Jordans. Also, he took a knife just in case. In the car, he was more
focused than you could ever imagine. The windows were closed, the music was loud, and the windshield is fogged
up. The moment he looks out the window he sees someone get beaten up by some guys. He was shivering when he
arrived. He got out of the car and suddenly he felt a shiver going down his spine. Opening the door, he pulled out a
knife. Just in case, you know, someone was waiting for him. <<Ey! come up here!>> someone shouted. Phil looked
around and saw nobody. He went on his phone to call his assistant. She didn’t answer so he shouted back <<Where
to dude? You’ll have to tell me>> <<Nah, don’t tell me you don’t see me! I’m on top of the bridge.>> Phil looked up.
Now he could see him. It was a big-looking guy wearing a long coat. <<Ah, but like, how do I get up there?>> <<You
see that staircase? Maybe use that.>> A bit embarrassed went up the staircase. He opened his knife but kept it inside
his jacket. You know, just in case.

<<And now?>> Phil was confused. <<Now I’ll tell you the things you and I should and will be worried about. I’ve got a
problem. I have 3 maids and a gardener and yesterday it was just the 3 maids. Which means… The gardener is dead,
and I need you to find out who killed him. You’ll get 3000£. What do you think? You can say no, but then you could
get a bad recension on google.>> <<Ok. You want me to help you solve a murder? But aren’t the police there for
things like that?>> <<Yes, they are but I’ve got, some pot at home. So maybe the police find it and put me in prison.
But you can maybe overlook it. Do you understand me?>> <<Ok. I can do that. Where do you want me to be?>>
<<Craven Street 69. Tomorrow at 4:20 pm.>>

The next day, Phil got ready with a coat and his trustworthy knife in his pockets. He drove to Craven Street 69 and
was shocked. It was in the middle of London. It was a nice, old-looking, villa. He knocked on the door and an old lady
opened the door. <<Hello, I am the detective the housemaster ordered. Can I come in?>> <<Of course sir. Would you
like a cup of tea?>> <<No thanks, I’d just like to speak to your master. Is that possible right now?>> <<Well it is.>>
Suddenly the living room door opens and out comes the man Phil spoke with last night. <<Come with me, please.>>
Phil obeyed and went with him. They went through a door and another door until they were in the garden. It was a
pretty garden. Also, there was a greenhouse with some yellow tape around the door. The man opened the door.

Inside there was a corpse laying on the floor. <<I’m Paul by the way and this was Guster until about a week ago. The
thing is, we don’t know if it was suicide or if it was somebody else.>>
<<I will see what I can do. Ok first off, there is no actual suspicious-looking weapon. Also, there is no blood so it must
have been something to do with either a medical condition or some poison. Do you know anything about his medical
condition or some enemies?>> Phil asked. <<Well not really, but it could have been one of the maidens. But I don’t
think so because they don’t have an actual reason to do it. Also, everyone liked him. He was a funny guy and didn’t
seem suicidal.>> <<Thanks for the information, I’ll just look for some more things.>> Paul left the greenhouse and
closed the door. It was a filled-up greenhouse and there were many pretty flowers and vegetables. But there was no
Sebastian Fingerlos

sign of a weapon. Phil didn’t know anything about plants, but he had got an app that lets you find out more about
whatever plant you are looking at. So, he went ahead and scanned a few plants. He already knew what a rose was
but for example the mushrooms in there he didn’t know. When he scanned them, he saw that they were poisonous
and lead to hallucinations but when overdosed they can kill you. <<Uhm, Paul? Are you here?>> Phil shouted.

Paul opened the door. <<Yeah, what’s the problem?>> <<Uhm, those mushrooms. What are you doing with them?>>
<<Well, I am smoking them. You can get hella high. Trust me bruv.>> <<Ok, but did you know that they can kill you if
you… take too much of them? So, I think that Guster might have tried to get high, which he did, but then he smoked
more, and then… he passed. What do you think of the theory?>> <<Maybe. But I’ve never seen Guster get high with
us. Maybe he tried to kill himself. I think we’ll have to get the corpse to a toxicologic to get it checked. But I don’t
know any guys who can do it. Or do you?>> <<No I don’t. I think we’ll have to say that he killed himself to his family
and prosecutors. Because I can’t risk police finding pot and sh#t.>> <<I don’t know. You’ll have to handle the officials
and so on. I finished my part of the contract. I can go home now. And when will I get my money?>> <<Ok, ok chill
out. Gimme your bank account number and you’ll get the money as soon as possible.>> <<Thanks. It’s 6942069420.
If you need me just call me. You know the number. And please recommend me to your family and friends.
Goodbye.>> <<Goodbye.>>

Back at home, Phil put on his headphones, put on some happy music, and started drinking some water. His red old
telephone was quiet now. Everything was good now. RRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING…….
RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNG. The telephone rang. <<Hello?>> <<Hello darling, I’m sorry for today, I was just so angry,
I am sorry. Can I maybe go to you again?>>