Chapter 3

Sitting in a pool of warm water filled with foamy bubbles. There were verdant plants and trees surrounding me, some of them tall with spiking leaves, the others small with purple blossoms. Behind me was a large picture window, ivy creeping everywhere as though it were scoping an escape. Across from me on polished marble floors sat two shiny, black toilet bowls. Antique paintings mounted in ornate, gold frames decorated the striped, papered walls.

I entertained momentarily, the thought that someone might have died and I'd inherited this beautifully decorated bathroom. It looked like some tropical paradise fit for a queen. I only stared in awe that I should be bathing in such luxury. Looking up to admire the fourteen-foot stucco ceiling, the wooden ceiling fan gently whirring. A curious red stain to the left of it, like something penetrating the pores of the floor above. Squinting to focus, it began to drip, landing on the polished marble floors. Blood.

There were sudden footsteps in the hall outside. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I shrunk down instinctively. The large, gold doorknob turned slowly and I held my breath.

Two naked men entered. They didn't seem to notice me at all. One of them was tall and lanky, his skin the colour of jaundice, the other, short and covered in thick, dark hair. Their wrinkled genitals bounced stupidly as they walked, with no shame, across the room. There was blankness in their eyes as they sat, each on one of the black toilet bowls, defecating in unison.

"What's going on here?" I said, wondering if this was, in fact, the purpose for having two toilet bowls side by side. They ignored me, so I raised my voice. "What are you doing? What is this place?" Again, no response.

When they were finished defecating, they got up and in unison, began fishing their own shit out of the toilet bowls. I could only sit and watch, mortified as they smeared the very same shit, all over themselves. In their faces, their hair, all over their chests and arms. When they'd run out of feces, they proceeded to sit on the toilet bowls, once again, defecating in unison.

I started to cry and in my confusion, began blurting out the same questions repeatedly. "Where am I? What are you doing?" There was a whine to my voice that I hated.

This time, they both looked directly at me. Their eyes glowing red like slow burning coals, their faces dirtied with shit and their lips turning up in the corners, with a chilling and contemptible laughter.