"Wow, this is amazing!" I shouted and all the people around me turned to look at me.
"Keep your voice down!" whispered Diana grabbing my arm. "This is still confidential, very few people know. I'm taking a risk in bringing this to you Paul."
I looked at her with astonished eyes.
"Yes, you're right, I'm sorry, can you tell me again how you got it?"
Diana smiled and looked at me mischievously.
"In a little while you'll know..." That was all she answered me.
I didn't inquire further and was patient, as I was enjoying this miraculous gift. The wrinkles on my face were dissipating, just as some of my crooked teeth were settling in. My hands looked like those of a young man in his twenties and I watched in front of a glass as the dark circles under my eyes disappeared.
My hair slowly changed from white to brown; the original color when I was younger. Diana had to cover my head with a cap so people wouldn't notice the sudden color change. My back was becoming straighter and my voice no longer sounded so raspy.
"Remember, you must never drink it, just smell it," Diana warned me seriously.
"Really? What a shame, as much as I love coffee."
"Seriously, Paul, don't drink it, we think the consequences could be catastrophic."
"You who?" This time my curiosity rose even higher.
Suddenly, a very tall man with a long-sleeved faux leather jacket and curly hair approached us, greeted Diana with a kiss on the lips, and then looked up at me smiling.
"Hi, Paul, I'm Jeff," the man said as I continued in my amazement.
"Paul, he's the reason you have that coffee," Diana explained.
I scratched my head in confusion. "What do you mean, why am I getting it?"
"You see, Paul," Jeff explained, "I belong to a small group with a project that aims to achieve eternal youth. We've made great strides so far, but my colleagues still don't have faith that this will work effectively, and we can't ask for a trusted test subject since it's supposed to be a secret project.
"So Diana suggested we try it on you since you fit the profile we're looking for, you're trustworthy, and it's working!"
I looked at Jeff dumbfounded, then looked at the cup of coffee that was making me rejuvenated.
"Is there something important I should know?" I asked him with some suspicion.
"Yes, you should only snort it, not drink it. Four times a day is enough. If you feel any abnormalities like dizziness or anything like that, avoid using it definitely, we don't want to risk it."
"Well, I don't think that will happen, as I feel great," I pleaded contentedly.
"I'm so glad!" Diana replied. "Just be very careful, buddy."
I nodded and said goodbye to them, I promised to keep them updated if anything new came up.
Days passed and I felt like I was in my healthiest years of youth. I could bend over, stretch my legs, and eat anything without worrying about cholesterol or triglycerides. Truly, this coffee made me very happy.
However, it didn't take long for me to become dependent on the benefits of that substance.
Whenever I felt my knees hurt, I would inhale into the cup until the pain disappeared. When I felt pain in my finger joints, I would inhale again. When I exhausted all my energy from doing some fairly strenuous physical activity, I would go back to my usual drug.
I became very dependent, forgetting Diana and Jeff's warnings. This excess caused me to lose control of my body, growing younger and younger until I became a five-year-old boy.
I paced around the apartment when suddenly Diana burst in and looked me in the eyes.
"Paul?" She guessed right. "But what the hell did you do?" she took me in her arms and picked me up, then took the coffee and asked me to take a big sip.
As I did, I began to age rapidly back to my original age. I was lying on the floor, naked and my body was sore again.
"What the hell happened?" I asked.
"That you abused the coffee! This came out bad, I'm going to give it back to Jeff," Diana helped me up off the floor and placed me on the bed. "Rest up, Paul, I'll check on you later."
I inhaled and exhaled slowly as Diana's image blurred until it disappeared. I fell completely asleep and began to dream of inhaling that strange miracle coffee again.
THE END
