Chapter 1: Introduction
Mason stepped outside, his lungs filling with the fresh smell of pine. Birds chirped from their perch in the towering oak tree at the edge of his backyard, the rustling leaves whispering against each other. The wide sweep of sunlit emerald grass and trees almost made him forget the tedious hours he had just spent shuffling customer receipts and submitting reports.
Almost.
An itch started between his shoulders, his anxious muscles knotting to the point of discomfort.
He knew that there was a way to unfasten that tension; an unusual method, but one that never failed to be exhilarating. Before solitude seeped away, Mason made his way to his secluded sanctuary, where he could surrender to his own secret world.
As if by instinct, the fingers of his right hand found the familiar lockbox hidden behind the shed's wooden planks—inside was something that would set his mind at ease. The cylinder of gleaming silver contained pressurized helium, all ready and waiting for the flick of the wrist.
As his hand grasped the nozzle, his heart skipped a excited beat, anticipating helium's invasion. Mason's thoughts swirled excitedly as he bent down and allowing the bright gas to tickle and engage him with invisible mercy.
"Did you know?" Mason quipped to the silent air around him, eyes glinting with a secret, "Filling up with helium doesn't actually make you float like a balloon, even if you feel eight times lighter.
I mean, your voice sounds squeaky, but gravity still knows your business."
He took another determined breath of helium and held it, the forcefulness of the gas wildly exciting him as he sighed, weightless under its influence.
He released the gas, his usual voice cracking as it came back in a comically high-pitched giggle.
"But just imagine if it would," Mason mused aloud, halfway filled already, making his way back to the open yard, hoisting the still-connected tank over his shoulder with a certain flair.
"Floating serenely above the grasping hands of the world, feeling so free with nothing to tie you down. Or even better, defying expectations with every lift and dance. No strings attached, just helium and euphoria. A master of your own universe."
Talking to himself, as was customary during these sessions, felt incredibly liberating with his body shifting as the helium took full effect. The world seemed to slow and soften its edges as he took another hit, feeling his spirit grow lighter with the silvery mist.
Giddy, Mason flitted about the lush lawn, as light as a feather, floating into a daydream, while the nozzle continued to humbusily in the background.
His shoulder-length brown hair billowed around him, curling softly, and his worries were whisked away with every carefree skip in the sun-dappled blades. The oak tree's branches swayed lazily overhead, seeming to whisper their agreement that – just for a while – anything was possible, and gravity was optional.
Lost in this floating sensation, Mason became acutely aware of the feeling of heat tracing its way across his skin. He felt the warmth of the sun bathing his body, which was so utterly different from the searing intensity he knew in the daylight hours. No phones buzzed, no numbers flashed or tallied in his mind; the only equation he needed to solve was the distance from his anxieties and the divine freedom he was currently suspended in.
Suddenly, something tickled his mind. This floating sensation was leaving him he want to continue feeling it.
He wanted to abandon every tether keeping him from reaching that apex of calm. So, with nothing but a wild urge, he decided that a added material around him would increase that astonishing feeling.
Carefully, with one steady hand he placed the tank on the grassy lawn, and, with a glint in his eyes, slowly began to undo the button on his trousers and shirt. No sooner had the fabric fell away from his waistline than he released another playful giggle at the intoxicating lightness that coursed through his body.
The silky boxer-briefs remained, clinging gently to his hips, as Mason reached for the nearest blanket, sprawled out on the inviting plushness.
Mason stretched his body along the vibrant fabric, casting an almost regal pose. The sun's rays gently caressed his skin, gracing the curves and contours, now seemingly accentuated by the incredible sensation of buoyancy. As his fingers danced enough to bring the helium tank closer, his vivid imagination drifted away to the pleasures that lay ahead.
The feeling of this extraordinary levity diffused through his veins, his body seemed to be magnetically pulled towards his secret desires.
He glanced at the gas-filled tank, almost expectant and curious about what might transpire once the first gush of gas left the nozzle and snaked its way around him.
"No use dwelling on the mundane thoughts," Mason murmured aloud, with a sliver of excitement thinly veiled as he stepped closer to his solitary oasis.
Taking a deep breath, Mason bent down again and clutched the nozzle of the tank, allowing helium to cascade around his body.
A shiver ran up his spine like an electric charge, as the waves of gas splashed around him, infusing his senses with a spirited sensation. The tank hummed like a devoted sidekick as he tilted his head back, allowing helium to wrap around his waist, sexy thighs, and curvaceous calves.
Mason then hears the tank sputter and die. Cursing he used up the last helium tanks he had. Though an idea came to his mind.