It all started in the woods, one day in late July. Ed is hiking through a state park. He decides to spent his twenty-fifth birthday on a hike. Since he moved to Seattle, none of his family live nearby anymore. The komorebi on the ground is nothing short of majestic. He stops to admire. The shadows dance with a certain elegance, hard to put to words. That's when he sees them. No way, he thinks. Ed kneels down to get a closer look. a flush of white stemmed mushrooms, with flat light-golden caps, grow on the wayside. Ed's no expert, but he thinks he knows what these are. Sure enough, when he picks one, bluish bruising appears on the stem. Excitement mounting. Ed picks a handful more with careful precision, so as not to damage the mycelial network too badly. Ed leaves half a dozen untouched so they can propagate—Jason taught him this. He stows his bounty in a little bag tucked in his backpack.

The rest of the trip Ed is consumed by his thoughts. Did he find what he believes? Ed and Jason had been foraging out in the woods many times together. He'll know what these are.

As soon as Ed got home, he went right next door to his neighbor Jason's house. Ed pounded frantically on the door, clutching in a gentle grip the bag of mushrooms. Jason opened the door. He is a rather thin man, balding at his crown. Today he wears black slacks, with his usual white lab coat. Ed shoves the bag of mushrooms at him.

"Are these—?" Ed exclaims. Feeling his excitement peak.

Jason takes the bag with a gentle hand, holding it up to his eyes. "They–chose you…"

"What? I found them in the woods!"

"Of–course." Jason says with a nervous glint in his eye. "I think you'd better come in." Ed sits down on a plush chair in the living room. Jason sits across from him, twiddling his thumbs, an absent expression on his face. Ed has never seen Jason so anxious.

"Are you alright?" Jason jumps at the sound of Ed's voice, like he has just pinched him.

"Yeah…" Jason confirmed, coming back to himself. "There's no telling what you may see. But this course of action cannot be undone. Do not undertake this endeavor lightly, Ed."

"So, these're what I thought?"

"Yes," Jason says in a hoarse tone. Ed's world starts to spin. He knows not yet what this means.

"so… what do I do?"

"You must do what you think is right, Ed. I cannot make this decision for you. As with all things in life, this choice before you imparts both good and bad. Remember that." Ed swallows hard. Unsure of what to make of this warning. "Those'll have to be dried, unless you've already decided?"

"Not yet…" Ed hands Jason the bag.

"I have to check on something, Ed. Be seeing you." Ed takes the hint, heading for the front door. He stands on Jason's front step for a while, contemplating everything that Jason said. Ed's phone chimes. The message reads: It's your birthday today, right? It's from Jane, who he met at the grocery store. She had accidentally bulldozed him with her cart while Ed was coming around an isle. This led them to talking, eventually exchanging numbers. This only happened a few days ago. Ed hadn't expected to hear from her again.

Yes, Ed replies.

Yay. Happy birthday. Are you busy later?

No. I just got back from a hike.

Want to go walk in the park? Seven-o-clock.

I'll be there!

Ed flushes with excitement. Did she just ask him on a date? On his birthday! How could this day get any better?

When Ed arrives at the park, Jane is already there, sitting on a bench. By the time Ed notices her, Jane is already looking at him with a skeptical frown. The first thing Ed notices are her eyes—pretty bastions of amber, specked with green. She wears her long brown hair braided down her back.

"You're late," Jane says in a disapproving tone. Ed panics. Did he screw this up already.

"Sorry. Only by a couple minutes."

"I was beginning to think you didn't want to see me." Jane cracks a smile before bursting out laughing—the kind of laugh that comes out when someone tries to suppress it too long. "I'm messing with you. You should see your face. Did you think I was being serious?" Jane stands up, giving Ed a light punch on the shoulder. Ed's face contorts with embarrassment.

"Well—I…"

Now it's Jane's turn to look embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I thought you'd get the joke. I didn't mean to frighten you," She says in a sympathetic tone, holding out her hand. "Walk with me?" Ed takes it, grateful that she isn't mad at him. The two of them stroll side by side through the park. Summer is in full swing. The leaves of the trees rustle with a sort of lazy carelessness. The sun begins to set, bathing the park in an orange hue. The many flowers surrounding them produce sweet aromas that mix with each other, fading in and out. But the sweetest of all Is Jane. Her perfume fills his nose with an intoxicating scent of citrus. Her hand feels warm and soft in his. She radiates an aura of compassion—every step seems measured, every action intentional as if done with great care.

"What are you thinking?" Jane asks, breaking the silence—not an awkward silence, but peaceful. Content. Ed ponders for a moment.

"I think I'm lucky I met you," Ed decides, giving her hand a small squeeze. Jane returns it, his stomach does a backflip.

Do you like dancing? A sly smile is tugging at her rosy lips. Jane points. Ed notices a stage, all the way at the other end of the park. There are lights at the stage, and faint music in the distance. Before Ed can answer, Jane begins running toward it, leaving him no choice but to follow.

As they get closer, Ed recognizes the familiar bass and rhythm of dance music. There's a crowd of people standing in front of the stage, all waving their arms around wildly—dancing like there's no tomorrow. Jane stops about ten yards short of the crowd. She turns around, once again holding her hand out to him. The music is loud now. She says something, but he can't make it out.

"What?" Ed shouts.

"Are you ready to dance?" There's that sly smile again.

"I don't know how to dance."

"It'll be ok. Just follow my lead." Her warm stare bores into his—melting him.

Ed had heard those words before, but something about the way she says them makes him believe it. He takes her hand, and the two of them plunge together into the pandemonium.

At first, Ed is fraught with apprehension. His movements are stiff and clunky. Jane looks like she's having the time of her life—waving her arms around, dancing like nobody's watching. Seeing her fills Ed with a sense of wonder, but also confidence. Ed's noticed when he's around her, he feels more sure of himself—like he could take on the world. Maybe it was just Jane's confidence rubbing off, or the music. Ed found himself following suit, dancing with unrestrained vigor. Soon he became just another person in the crowd.

Ed danced with Jane, then he found himself dancing with strangers: a woman with red hair, and some wild piercing; a guy in a half unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt; a woman wearing an extremely revealing top; another guy, who kept trying to get closer to Ed every time he backed up. With every new person Ed danced with, he felt himself getting farther away—joining the collective conscious of the group. Ed is floating on cloud nine, in blissful ignorance of everything going on around him.

A hand grabs Ed's shirt collar, pulling him out of the crowd, back to himself. He stumbles—still disoriented—as he tries to turn around, toppling into the person who grabbed him. They both go down with a soft oomph as they hit the grass. Ed realizes it's Jane, who is now laying on her back looking up at him, their faces just inches apart. Their gazes meet, for a surprise moment they just stare. Jane acts with sudden speed, wrenching his knee out from under him, flipping him over so she's on top. Jane leans down and kisses him hard—everything melts away: the nearby people, the music, the lights. It's just them now, nobody else.

When they come up for air, Jane has a big grin on her face. "I've been wanting to do that since we got here."

"Why didn't you?"

"You seemed so scared of me. I didn't want to push things too soon. Besides, I was curious if you were going to."

"I don't think I would have."

Jane laughs. "No. Probably not.

"Im glad you did though."

"Me too.

"It's getting late, I should probably head home. Do you live around here?" Ed asks.

"Yeah, just a few blocks away. Did you drive?"

"No. I took the bus. I don't like using the car in the city if I don't have to.

"Can I walk you home?" Ed inquires.

"How gentlemanly of you." Jane states. The two of them walk hand in hand away from the park.

Ed's phone chimes. He checks it, there's a text from Jason: Have you made a decision? Ed concludes that he'll decide tomorrow.

They arrive outside Jane's apartment. Ed prepares to say goodbye. "I had a blast, I really want to see you again, soon."

"You know," Jane proposes, playing with the end of her braid. "You–could come in."

Ed's stomach does another backflip. "I think I'd like that."

"Yeah? Ok." The two of them barely make it to her apartment door with their clothes on.

Ed wakes with a warm, fuzzy feeling as if he's just woken from a good dream. But instead, the dream is real. He looks over at Jane, who's still dozing. A sense of belonging washes over him—probably just the oxytocin. One of her legs is set over his, almost like she's anchored herself to him. Ed bathes in the afterglow for a while, soaking in the peaceful silence of the room. He watches Jane's relaxed face, and her chest rising and falling. Her subtle scent drifts over to him, stimulating his nervous system.

Jane's breathing changes, and her eyes flutter open. She sees Ed awake next to her, staring at the ceiling—quietly contemplating.
"What are you thinking about?" Jane asks, rolling on her side to face him.
Ed considers this. "I have a choice to make, but I'm unsure of the nature of said 'choice.'"
"look at me.
Ed looks into those amber eyes, specked with green.
"You seem intelligent. I'm sure whatever the choice is, you'll make the right one. Even if it doesn't seem so at first."
Again, Ed can't help but believe her. He lays his head on her chest, listening to the soft heart beats beneath. She strokes his hair with a gentle fervor. They lay there for some time.

"I should probably get back to real life." Ed says in a dreamy affect.
"I suppose.
Locating their clothes proves to be a challenge.—they're scatter in a trail from the door to the bed. Once Ed is dressed he walks toward the apartment door.
"Don't forget about me," Jane teases.
"You? Never."
They share one final kiss before the door closes behind him.

Ed arrives at home to see Jason standing outside. Once Jason sees Ed, he hurries inside, coming out a moment later with something in his hand. Jason hurries over to Ed, offering him the bag of mushrooms—they're dried now.
"Decide soon." Jason hurries away inside.
That was strange, Ed thinks. He enters his kitchen, making his way to the living room. Ed sits down on the sofa. He sets the bag down on the coffee table in front of him. Thoughts swirl as Ed becomes lost in his mind. Last night keeps coming back to him, but he tries to push the thoughts out for now. He has a decision to make. Ed stares at the bag before him. He'd always been curious, hearing the types of experiences people have. But the way Jason talks about it, like it's so important. Ed decides he needs to find out for himself. He opens the bag, the dried fruiting bodies have an odd odor to them. Ed puts one in his mouth, biting down with tentative care—not good. Ed chews quickly, trying to ignore the texture and flavor. Once they're all gone, he sits back in his chair—waiting. nothing happens. Ed wonders if Jason was wrong about them. Maybe they won't work. Ed decides after a while to go get something to eat. He walks to the kitchen, opening the fridge. There's some leftover rice and beans he'd made the day prior. Ed puts the container into the microwave, setting it for two minutes. His thoughts start to get louder and more vivid. The microwave beeps. Ed pulls the food out, setting it on the kitchen counter. A strange lightness starts in his stomach, then extends to his limbs—almost like he could float away. The gentle hum of the fridge changes pitch, dancing around in his head. Ed sees thousands of shifting colored lines appearing around him. The textures of objects appear to project off their surfaces, as if he's seeing them in an extra dimension. Ed decides he needs to sit down. He doesn't quite make it to the sofa, lying on the floor somewhere nearby. A dark static grows in Ed's vision, shifting back and forth. Ed feels himself recede until he's looking out of his own eyes, as if he's watching someone else's perspective. The world starts to fade away, growing evermore distant.