The Gates of Perception Eric J. Millar Where we at Bo?

Dominic said as they walked up to the rotting brown trailer house. The aluminum siding had originally been brown but had since turned to a black rust and mold tapestry. The screens in most of the windows were gone or just hanging in by some sort of miracle. He pulled a silver plated Zippo from his jet black jogging pants and started to flick it open and shut repeatedly. Dont really know. Gilly was driving. Bo looked back at Gilly with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. He took a drag off of the half smoked cigarette hanging from his lips. You were the navigator man. Whats it matter anyways? Gilly felt ill at ease in the woods that surrounded the house. The owner had left a light on for them and it threw a sickly yellow all around them. It illuminated the endless orgy of twisted maligned trees, throwing grotesque shadows into their darkness. The branches reached into the yard like a million broken fingers groping for whoever dared near them. Gilly shivered in his bright yellow sweatshirt jacket. Who cares? Bo shrugged his shoulders and pulled the cigarette from his mouth. He tossed it on the burned brown grass and ground his shoe on it until it went out. You smell that? Wasnt me. Gilly said quickly and with a red face. Dominic started laughing loudly. Probably just a pig farm or something, numb nuts. Aint any pig farms around here. Gilly said quietly. The boys approached the porch hesitantly. Just as they reached the steps, the door flew open, hitting the wall and causing a storm of dust. An old grey man emerged from inside, taking each step slowly and deliberately. His thin white hair and long dirty beard trailing behind him like a veil. His shirt was covered in dirt and the remains of meals gone by. Grey sweatpants wrapped tight around his long crooked legs, making them look thick and tumorous. His entire outfit had the look of weather beaten paper. Good to see you boys. His voice resembled the sound of metal dragging across concrete. Each of his words came from his mouth slowly but with great volume. I didnt think you were going to make it. Sometimes people have bit of trouble finding the place. He walked to Dominic and put his arm over his shoulder, his joints creaking and snapping with every inch. Hows it hard to find? Its the only place for miles. Gilly said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His head was throbbing and his ears filled with thunder that only he could hear. He looked the old man in his eyes, his face tired and hanging from his skull. The old man looked back with disgust but tried hard to disguise it with a smile. He showed all of them his black decaying teeth. I have to tell you, I didnt have a chance to tidy up before your arrival so the place is a little bit of a mess. I hope you boys can forgive me. The old man squeezed Dominics shoulder and hurried them all into the house. Damn. The word slipped slowly from Bos mouth as he saw what they were walking into. The wood grain paneling was horribly discolored and bulging making the entire living room look as if something large and wet had exploded inside it. The carpet

was covered in dark stains and chunks of aging food being fed upon by an array of insect life. The old man lit a piece of sandalwood incense to try to cover the malignant odor but did not succeed. A stranger was sitting in a disintegrating recliner in the corner. His eyes were sunken in and his mouth was stretched into a long, thin smile. Why dont you boys take a seat while I get things ready. Ill only be a few moments. The old man disappeared into the bedroom just off the living room and closed the door carefully behind him. The boys could hear the sound of lock being latched into place. Dominic made his way over to the couch and started to throw off bits of moldy food and stained paper off. Damn, man! That chunk was wet. Got any wet wipes Gilly? Gilly dropped onto the couch and looked up at Dominic, shaking his head. Why? Dominic sat down in the cushion next to him and smiled. If the living room looks this bad, I dont want to see the commode. Bo walked over to the stranger and kneeled down beside him. The boy looked through him and his lips began to quiver. Everything alright? The gate. Bo could hardly hear him. The gate. The gate. Its so Ygnaiih Ybthnk The stranger trailed off and Bo looked over at Gilly and Dominic. I dont know what the hell he took, but I sure as hell know I want to get some of that. Bo and Dominic began to laugh and Gilly sat silently, staring at the bedroom door. You dont look so good. Dominic looked over at Gilly with worry in his face. Just a feeling tired. Gilly lied. He didnt want to tell him about the gnawing feeling that something about the house and the old man felt a bit off. The lock unlatched and the old man returned holding a pipe and a baggie of white-green crystals. He sat on the floor slowly and folded his legs. So I hear you guys are thrill seekers. He looked around the room, his eyes stopping at each of them. You could say that. Dominic said while stretching his arms across the back of the stained sofa. What Im asking is: Do you like to get high? The old man smiled and gripped the bag of crystals tightly. Hell yeah. If you dont mind, Ill take some of whatever hes having. Bo laughed and pointed at the man in the recliner. Shut it Bo. Im trying to do business here. He looked the old man in the eyes, his face tightened to show that he was serious. How much is this going to cost us? The old man pondered that while he pulled some crystals from his baggie. He placed them into the pipe one by one. The pipe was made from clear glass with a hint of purple and blue swirling around the spherical end. This is my own recipe. Ive spent years on getting every part of the mixture just right. This makes smoking DMT feel tamer than a pack of cloves. This will make you see things that you never thought possible. Youre asking me to put a price on that? Yeah, I am. Dominic did not remove his eyes from the old man for a second. Ill tell you what. His eyes shot through Dominics. Since I like you guys and since you traveled so far just to try my product, Ill give you this time as a freebie.

Consider it a free trial offer. But if you like it you recommend me to all your friends back home. He picked up a ball point pen from the coffee table and began to pack the crystals deep into the pipe with the dull end. Sounds like a deal to me. Bo slapped his hands on his knees and smiled excitedly. Gilly stared at the man, unable to take his eyes off of him. Every moment he spent near the old man made him feel more ill but he did not have the power to get away. Are you sure youre going to be able to handle it? I warn you, this is like nothing you have ever experienced before. The old man passed the pipe to Bo. He put the pipe in his mouth and dug a cheap plastic lighter from his jeans. He lit it and brought it towards the pipe. The old mans hand flew up in a flash, slapping the lighter from Bos hand. Not with a lighter, you savage. You must use a wooden match. He pulled a box of kitchen matches from under some old newspapers on the table and handed them to Bo. Just hold the flame there until you taste it. It will taste strongly like a pine air freshener but thats just so you know its lit. Then take the flame off and itll smolder on its own. Whatever you say. Bo struck the match and held it into the pipe, the crystals glowing green as he sucked the air and flame through them. He took the match away and shook it until the flame was replaced by smoke and smoldering wood. He pulled the smoke deep into his lungs and removed the pipe from his lips. Now hold if for as long as you can handle. Just let the smoke tell your mind to let go and think of the great things you are going to see. When you start to feel numb, exhale and pass it on to your friends. The old mans smile widened and his eyes began to glow with satisfaction. Holy Bo said through the cloud of smoke. He passed the pipe and matches to Gilly then sank back into his chair. Damn. Gilly struck a match and held it to the crystals for moment. After holding his hit for a few seconds his chest began to convulse and his eyes filled with tears. He vomited the smoke in a fit of coughing. Dominic snatched the pipe and matches away while he had his fit. Good stuff, huh? Bo laughed and reached over to pat Gilly on the back. His hand made a dull thump with every hit and Gilly slowly stopped coughing. The old man handed him a dark colored bottle. Take a drink. Some people just dont have the throat for this stuff. The old man tried to sound caring and compassionate but Gilly couldnt see past the harshness of his voice. He couldnt trust the man but he knew that he needed something to make the pain in his throat stop. He took the bottle into his hand and brought it to his lips. He let the liquid flow past his lips and into his throat. It was thick and had the taste of rotting vegetables. Gilly swallowed some and tried to spit what was left in his mouth back into the bottle. His throbbing in his head grew and he gagged a couple of times. Gilly handed the bottle back to the smiling old man who quickly put it to his own lips and took a long drink from it. It may be aged a little too much but itll still mess you up. The old mans laughter sounded like an overworked diesel engine. Dominic sat back into the couch and

let the smoke slither from between his smiling lips. The old man removed the pipe from his hand and then returned to the bedroom, locking the door behind him once again. Wow. Dominic said slowly to Gilly. His eyes peered at his friend sitting next to him slowly glassing over. Old man was right. I aint ever had anything like this before. The Gate! The Gate! The stranger shot up from his restful position, his back straight and rigid like a plank. Hes coming! Yug-Sothoth! His eyes slowly closed as he sank back into the chair, his head drooping to the side. Yeah, never anything like it. Gilly turned away from Dominic and his eyes returned to the bedroom door. The thunder was growing louder and nearly masked the sound of the man rifling through unknown things in his private room. The world around the boys had become dark and fluid, flowing like the waves of the ocean at midnight. Reality had lost it solidity and the sound of the universe tearing deafened them. The wall across from them had fallen apart and turned into a great sea of emptiness. Dominic and Bo began to groan and twitch while Gilly sat silently, his eyes still glued to the bedroom door. It opened and the man emerged holding a tape recorder in one hand and a large video camera in the other. Only Gilly could see through the liquid and fog. I first found out about DMT from a man by the name of Terrence McKenna. He would do lectures all around the country, trying to turn people on to the world beyond our own mediocre perceptions. He wasnt near the man Timothy Leary was but it wasnt for the lack of trying. He set the camera up in the corner of the living room farthest from the boys. He took a few moments to frame the scene and when he was satisfied he hit the record button. He walked away from it and approached the stranger in the recliner. He put his hand on the boys shoulder and started to smile. DMT hits you fast, not like LSD. You start to see things within twenty seconds of smoking it. Thats what I gave him and it really put him for a loop. The high only last for ten or fifteen minutes but it wipes you when you come down. What I gave you is a little bit different. Like I said before, its my own recipe. Ive spent many, many years trying to create the greatest high, the ultimate new perceived reality. For the most part the high is like that of DMT. The old man approached Dominic and held the tape recorder near his mouth. Your name please. Ybthnk Yflgrth His eyes rolled back and his head sank into the sofa. A little late I guess. He walked to Bo and pointed the recorder. Can you tell me what youre feeling? Tearing. The words slowly filtered through his tightened lips. Good, good. That means its kicked in. Terrence tried hard to describe what they were seeing but failed miserably. He called them self transforming machine elves and all sorts of other childish things. He imagined Aeon at play with his colored balls. He had experienced it so many times but he could never get down completely what he saw. It only took me once. The light of a dim star began to twinkle in the darkness. Dark shapes writhed and crawled, the light reflecting off their terrible shapes. He could see many colored globes

emerging from the horizon approaching him and behind them the silhouette of an immense tentacled beast. The light from the living room refracted through the orbs and showed in the many eyes of the being. Gilly stared into them with great fear but also great curiosity. The hardest thing to take from DMT was its strangest attributes. Fifty percent of everyone who takes DMT see the same thing. Half of everyone who experiences it sees the same colored spheres and strange alien landscapes. Bo sat up quickly and began to go into spasms. Blood poured from his nostrils and foamed from the edges of his mouth. He shook terrible, uttering gibberish through the blood filling his throat. The thunder amplified and entered through the great void. A thin ebon tentacle reached out and wrapped itself around Bo. It pulled back, taking him with it into the darkness. Yes. The old man hissed. This is more than I hoped for. He walked over to Dominic and tapped him on the forehead. Dominics eyes flew open and his mouth opened letting out a loud primal scream like the old man had never heard. His eyes went out and he rolled off the front of the couch onto the coffee table. I dont think your friends going to make it. Can you tell me your name, just for the record? Last name first if you can. The old man put his fingers on the lids on Gillys left eye. T-Thomkins. He voice was frail and his mind was slowly breaking. Gilbert Jay. The old man lifted his hand and Gillys head turned to look at Dominic. He watched as the iridescent orbs engulfed him, spinning madly around. One of them touched Gilly, lifting the hairs from his arm and feeling like static. They rejoined the rest of the many balls of light leaving a puddle of black tar where the boy had been sitting. Terrence used to say that DMT was taking us to another place and time, another dimension. He was only part right. The things we see are already here, hiding in the places just beyond sight. What we see is the Gate. What we see is the Key. What we see is Yug-Sothoth. Gilly tried hard to speak but his lips could no longer form words. He trailed off into a string of consonants while his fragmenting mind tried to piece them together. I found the other world but decided that DMT was just not enough. I wanted to touch it, wanted to feel it in my lungs. So I started to tinker with the chemicals found inside it. My first compound was far too dangerous but I tried it anyways. It took me someplace dark and alien. It was there that I found Yug-Sothoth. It was there that he gave me my gifts. The old mans sweat pants tore open revealing a nest of thousands of tendrils that swept wildly around him. Since then Ive been trying to get my recipe just right. Ive spent most of my life trying. Im on my thirtieth attempt but Im sure this one is right. There is no way that it can be wrong but as a precaution Ive stopped using the drugs on myself. Whenever I need a new test subject these days I just find a good party and drop a little word in someones ear. I tell them about myself and my work. I use guys like you and your friends because of how far youre willing to go to find the best high for the cheapest price. You are blessed in so many ways. I envy you, I truly do. The old man walked to the camera and pointed it directly at Gillys fading eyes. Why? Gilly put forth from his lips with his last remnants of will.

To be like the first monkey into outerspace. To see what others have not seen. Youre going to make the ultimate sacrifice for science and discovery. Every time I saw him and his world it would make me so happy that I would weep. I wish I could see just a fraction of what youre about too but Im far too afraid now. He slithered over to Gilly and put his mouth into his ear. Are you ready to make history? The old man looked back at the camera, smiling and waving. Gillys mind began to drift and get lost in the great eyes of Yog-Sothoth. His dark tentacles reached out and tugged at his soul and the bright spheres began to gather around him, each of them touching and caressing him. The thunder became defeaning and the man breathed quietly into his ear: Smile kid.