Bob stared at the pill in front of him. He wondered why it was yellow and not pink. Pink would have been nicer.
He took it in his hand and jiggled it on his palm before popping it into his mouth and swallowing with a grimace. It was easier with something to drink, but why make it easy? It should be hard, or at least that's what the voices told him.
As soon as he took it he could feel everything around him change. The edges of the room grew darker while the space expanded. Bob considered saying something, but decided it was better not to.
They wouldn't understand. Maybe it's never happened to them? We think it's normal.
He knew that probably wasn't true. Then again what even was normal?
He shook his head to clear it and get back on track. He picked up the next one and palmed it, ready to go. This one was greenish-blue. He liked this one, it counteracted the effects of the yellow one.
A gulp and a grimace and the room snapped back to normal size.
"How you doing there, buddy?" asked the attendant.
"I'm fine," came the short, clipped, reply.
"You always take a while, huh?"
Bob grunted.
"You know I have other patients to get to, right?"
"So? There's no reason for you to stand around and watch."
The attendant snorted and shook his head. They both knew the rules and the consequences for ignoring them.
Bob picked out his next pill from the tiny paper cup. Yellow again, this time smaller. This one was serious, but today his mind wandered. He thought of life on the beach, away from this ritual. Or even just staying in bed and skipping a day.
That'd be nice. We should do that.
The attendant sighed loudly and Bob popped the pill into his mouth. Shut up, he thought. Just shut up.