Excerpt from chapter twenty of  `Island of Life'…. `Croaker'

Oh shit, I'm talking to a hallucination," Peter blurted out. "It's those berries I've been eating, yeah, that's it. Oh God….my mind is damaged for life!  I'll be a  cabbage soon,  yeah…a veggie, with one little brain cell bouncing around  to help me function and slurp soup! I'm ready for that happy place, where I can sit on the window sill and whistle with the tweety birds. They'll come and get me soon…who's there?….and give me a room all to myself; yeah, private, with a great big lock on the door so I don't wander down the hall like a zombie and hurt myself."

Peter began speaking louder as the drug laden berries that he'd taken overworked his now  unstable mind with paranoia. His eyes shifted to the bushes after he noticed a leaf move. “Who's there!?” he called out, as his imagination began to race and he babbled out of control.

"Yeah, then a big ugly nurse will come around and unlock the door in the morning; poking her big head in the room, and saying, `Come along now Peter, it's time to take your little happy berries and join the others.' In her hand will be a scary little cup, but I'll crawl away into a corner and pick my nose, saying, 'But I don't want to take the happy berries any more……'cause I'm already happy.'

A big smile formed across his face. “You see….happy'.” Then she'll get mad and say, “Now don't make me beat you up!"

He became even louder and started sweating.

“Never!”  I'll say. Then she'll grab my hair and drag me down the hall like a bag of potatoes, to......'THE ROOM'. She'll slam me on a bed and put big belts across me, while talking  real nice all the time and being my friend. I know she will. After I'm strapped in, she'll smile at me and push a big piece of rubber in my mouth, still talking nice, and telling me, ` Now you bite down on this if you feel any pain, because this procedure might hurt…just a little.' Then a little disturbed man with thick glasses and a butt hanging off his lip will come in the room and look me over. I don't  think I'll like him. He'll roll a big machine over to the bed and turn it on like he's happy, then grab a couple of sparky things in his hands and say, `Vell, vell Peter, have ve been naughty today?' He'll smile as nurse Sasquatch rips off my clothes and pours stuff on my tender parts….yes…I can see him smiling Susan!  Somebody help me!!' Then he'll spark my titties until the chewy,  rubber thing flies out of my mouth and bounces off the ceiling. My tongue will fly all the way out and do the wiggly  on the end, while he and 'Big Ugly' give a high five and spark me some more. After my eyeballs start bulging, nurse Bigfoot will smile and turn the volts all the way up on the sparky machine while she whistles, then the little freaky man will spit the butt on the floor and get busy.

'Why are you looking down there!? NO…PLEASE DON'T…LEAVE HIM ALONE….HE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO YOU…YOU DON'T WANT TO….HE'S GOING AFTER…HE'S TOUCHING......PLEASE DON'T DO IT DOC!....HE DOESN'T LIKE THAT!!....NOOOOOOOO!!!"

Peter was screaming at the ceiling.

"SOMEBODY PULL THE PLUG!!.....HE'S MICRO-WAVING MISTER DANGLES!!!..............  AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

“Peter! Snap out of it!” Susan screamed while shaking him and bringing him back. "Control  yourself, you're talking crazy again."

"Don't say 'CRAZY', Peter warned while his eyes shifted left and right, then whispered, "They just might hear you."

"Get a hold of yourself," Susan ordered while pushing his hair back from his forehead.