Role

Chapter 2

The Bird Brain became a rowdy place. His regular customers chased off the
connoisseurs he had hoped to attract. They said his food was good, and they
loved the drinks, but they were more interested in getting drunk and high
than tasting the delicate herbal tinctures that tickled the senses.

So, due to demand, Meko was forced to become a drug-dealer. He personally
scouted and discovered intoxicating plants and substances that he could
incorporate into drinks. The taste was not always optimal, but it was never
bad. He learned he was gifted at crafting beverages that gave varying levels
of highs, lows, giggles and panic.

He still despised most of his customers. He created a special bottle of
bourbon -- one that would cause a horrible panicky, vomity death if consumed.
He stashed it under the bar and forgot about it for a while.

Then, one day, a rowdy customer threw a glass and shattered the only bottle
of his best, hand-crafted brandy -- which had notes of vanilla, raisins and a
distant hint of honey-braised green apples and crispy leaves, recalling the
most wonderful autumn day. He had had enough.

Suddenly, he remembered the special bottle of bourbon.

"This one," Meko called out, "is on the house."

Meko lined up a couple dozen glasses on the bar and poured a measure of
bourbon into each one. As his patrons took a glass, he gave an empty-handed
toast: To health!

He perched on the bar and, with no small measure of satisfaction, watched the
macabre show that followed.

He did not pack his bags before he left town.