Greg Patterson's Story of his Trip & Secret Society




GREG PATTERSON'S STORY

Part I - The trip:

 

When a movie was presented to me by my parents, I often thought it contained a hidden message. I watched attentively throughout the movie Gattaca waiting for the message to appear. I stared in wonder at the lengths Ethan Hawk would go through to become of the elite. I sat patiently hooked to my screen while Hawk and his brother took a swim across the lake. I waited and waited until we reached the very end of the movie. Than the message my parents were trying to get across was clear: I was going on a trip.

 

I didn’t think much of this hidden message; I just shaved, showered and brushed my teeth like I did every night. I went to bed expecting nothing but sleep. But something wasn’t quite right… Startling white images awoke me in the middle of the night. My eyes widened… I had just been flashed with an image which resulted in me gasping for air. A giant spider had been hanging from the ceiling in front of me. The best metaphor to be used is this: every flash felt like I was bungee jumping in ice cold water while being in full darkness. There was a feeling of zero gravity mixed with coldness. This element of abnormality really shook me to the core and it remains the worst feeling I have ever felt. I was physically having problems breathing. My body started to shiver uncontrollably and forced me into a small ball. After the 4th flash, I started desperately whispering “please stop” and began repeating my friend’s name over and over. The flashes stopped and I remained in a panicked death grip throughout the night; a deer in the headlights, completely frozen.

 

Memories of last night’s movie stayed in my head; maybe my parents were telling me I needed to take this trip again. The next day I woke up filled with purpose. Even though I failed the trip - I told them to stop - I was determined to do whatever it took. I believed I would die in the process but would be reborn. I said to myself that I wasn’t ready for the trip, I didn’t know what to expect therefore this time I can prepare and do better. How do you prepare for death? I figured if people wanted me dead it was for a good cause and that it would somehow grant me a life of privilege or respect in the next. I didn’t mention it to my family because I thought they hinted I had failed. I played a heavy dose of Burnout 3 for the xbox that day. The speed and the music always calmed my nerves.

 

The following night I was in panic mode. I prepared numerous candles and incense. But most importantly I prepared a playlist of the most peaceful music I had in my collection. I figured these preparations would give me the edge I needed. The method of waking up really frightened me, I figured I would wake up like Neo in the Matrix or wake up a long hallway. The hallway would have a point of light at the end and would be filled with aliens from all planets. I didn’t sleep all night; I was still in shock. I became convinced that in order for this to occur (or start), I had to be asleep. And I really wanted to get it over with. But days became weeks and weeks became months. I would be up to sometimes six in the morning, wide awake, listening to my carefully chosen playlist. Exhaustion set in and eventually forced me to sleep every night. Nothing happened. I was confused by this situation and wondered if I had missed my one chance. The long anxiety filled days really burned me out. I became obsessed with that one horrible night. Eventually I broke down and came to my mother telling her I did not want to go on this trip. She brought me to the hospital.




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