Insatiable Thirst
By Teresa Balin
*****
PUBLISHED BY:
Insatiable Thirst
Copyright © 2011 by Teresa Balin
*****
Mouth dryer than the Sahara Desert, Larry woke up with a sore throat and a thirst that was insatiable. Body protesting, he rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. Turning on the faucet, he poured himself a cup of water. Draining the cup, the water felt cool and refreshing, but did little to relieve his thirst. He filled up the cup again. And again. Exhausted, he set the cup aside.
His throat screamed for attention and his tongue lay caked within his dry mouth. He opened his cavernous mouth to examine it in the mirror and his saliva formed stalactites. His tongue looked to have a white coating. Disgusted, he rinsed with mouth wash and then being generous with the toothpaste, scrubbed his teeth and tongue clean. While his mouth and breath were fresher, his thirst still tormented.
Running water from the shower massaged his body and awakened his senses. Feeling provoked, he opened his mouth and let the water run down his throat. Responding to its need, his body instinctively commanded his brain to take in as much water as it could. His jaw seemed to unhinge so it could open wider. Feeling no need to swallow, he let his body take control.
The entire length of his shower, he stood there with his mouth open. He figured he had to be in there for over twenty minutes! His skin was now as wrinkled as prunes. Amazingly, his sore throat and thirst still taunted him.
Arriving to work late, he sat in his chair and contemplated his meal last night. Maybe the sausage in his pizza was bad. He couldn’t concentrate due to his dehydration, and walked as casually as he could to the break room. The strong aroma of coffee made his mouth water. He greeted the few people who were loading up on their addiction, grabbed a foam cup, and staked his claim in front of the water cooler.
Filling up his cup, tiny droplets of water splashed onto his hand, and seemed to evaporate. Water droplets released from the full bottle flew up into his nostrils, seducing his senses. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Anticipating the first sip of the ice cold water, the cup almost touched his lips before being interrupted.
“Hey, buddy, you okay?” His coworker, Gary, noticed the late arrival of Larry as well as his drained appearance.
The hand that rested on the back of his shoulder jolted him and he spelled some water on the floor. “Oh, ya, just in a daze today. I’ll be fine once I have some coffee.” He wasn’t in the mood for coffee or even food but needed to keep up with appearances.
Alone in the break room, Larry slammed down his cup of water, as if it were a shot glass full of alcohol. Mouth demanding more, he kept refilling his cup until the five gallon jug of water was empty. He stared in disbelief at his consumption. Yet still his body demanded more water. The temptation was growing and he was becoming more desperate.
Maintaining a relaxed and casual stride, he approached the receptionist. The young brunette’s curly hair bounced as she smiled and greeted him.
“Morning, Becca, the water jugs empty.”
“Okay, I’ll take care of it.” Proficient and efficient as she was, she was on the phone with Erik, requesting that he replace the empty jug.
Larry returned to his desk. Feeling faint, he sat down. Sweaty palms left a mark on his phone as he retrieved messages. His thirst was taking a life of its own and leaving him antsy. He couldn’t concentrate and had trouble processing a complete thought.
Letting enough time pass, he went back to the break room. His mouth trembled in anticipation of devouring the new jug of water. Forgetting a cup, he closed and locked the break room. Bending down on his knees, he held his mouth under the spout and let the water pour down his throat. The jug chugged in an effort to keep the water flowing. Soon exasperated, it dripped its remaining contents.
Running water could be heard from a recently flushed toilet. Larry sat in his stall, waiting for his body to release the flow of water from his bladder through his penis. With as much water as his body absorbed, he knew that he had to at least flush three or four times. He sat and waited for the urge. Nothing. No urge. No flow.
Larry knew something was really wrong with him! He had consumed more than ten gallons of water and still his greedy thirst was unquenchable. Practically running back to his desk, he grabbed his jacket and flew past the receptionist.
Thrusting his car in reverse, he sped out of his parking spot and raced down to the main street. His palms were sweaty again and his eyeballs seemed to float in their sockets. If possible, he felt like he was losing weight. Surprisingly his belly didn’t expand and he wasn’t retaining any water weight. Larry’s body seemed to know what he was thinking. He stopped sweating and his thirst abated.
The doctor conducted an examination but found nothing wrong. Every basic test that he took showed that he was normal. His blood test results would come back in a few days; meanwhile, he was instructed to drink lots of water and maybe Gatorade as well.
Upon exiting the examination room, he spotted the water cooler. His body zoned in and reacted viciously. Sweat poured from every orifice of his body. Drool leaked from the corners of his mouth. The water cooler reeled him in. Knees bent, he took position. And let the water pour until the jug was empty.
Regaining control of his thoughts, he wiped his mouth. A witnessing nurse watched in astonishment. Smiling, he exited the building.
But his thirst was not to be deterred. His tongue was so dried out it was sticking to the bottom of his mouth. When he swallowed, it felt so excruciating that he thought his Adam’s apple was going to rust in place.
Passing the park, on his way back to the office, he made an immediate turn into the parking lot. Glistening before his eyes, sprinklers were gyrating amongst the vast green grass, moistening everything in their path. Heart pounding, he ran to stand in between two sprinklers. Standing with mouth wide open, spurts of water poured down his desiccated throat.
The water seemed to run through his veins and pulsate through his brain. He felt isolated and void of any control. The thirst was undeniably turning him animalistic. His skin looked ethereal and fluidly glistened.
He stood like that for over an hour, until the sprinklers automatically shut off. He no longer cared about the attention he received from gawking passerby’s. Licking his lips, he had only one concern and one fulfilling need.
Rushing back to the office, already completely dry, he walked straight back to the break room. The empty jug silently threatened him. Once again, he alerted the receptionist that the water jug was empty.
“I thought we just replaced it. Okay, I’ll take care of it.”
After gulping down that water jug, he was learning that he needed to go directly to the source. By now, his coworkers silently tracked his movements, concerned.
Rarely did office employees need access to the storage room. Larry snuck behind the closed door and smiled placidly. The looming rack, filled with water jugs, stared back at him. He picked up the first casualty, ripping off the seal, and gulped the entire contents as fast as the jug could keep up.
Gary found him as he was lifting the last full water jug off the rack. “Hey, Larry.”
Larry turned around and glared at the cause of the interruption.
“Refilling the water, huh?” Gary walked closer to him, with hands in his pockets. “You know, Erik can do that.”
Larry stood there, still holding the water jug, displaying a small smile for showmanship.
“Larry, you really seem distracted today and man, you look really bad. Why don’t you go home for the rest of the day? Take it easy. Get some rest.”
Larry shr
ugged. “Ya, I guess that would be good.” He started toward the door. “I’ll just put this in there.”
When Gary walked back into the administration office area, and back to the break room, he saw the empty water jug perched on top of the stand. Two empty jugs sat on the floor next to it. Puzzled, he walked to the nearest window and watched as Larry entered his car and sped off.
Larry’s dry burning gullet was taking absolute control. Water has become his only priority. His palms were constantly sweaty and his eyes became red and watery. Drool dribbled down onto his shirtfront. Drinking all of the water jugs available in his office was not enough. He needed more.
Going home never crossed his mind. He