In small doses, TURTLE brought what most expected from LSD imitators: powerfully hallucinogenic, sensory, an out-of-body out-of-mind detacher. Bliss with a twist of flush and tremor. Turtle also brought the brain down to the power of single digits. 9%. 5%. 1%. When you Turtled, you tasted sweet eternity. Corrodes the brain, but what doesn’t? You're going to rust, do it on your own terms. Frank knew that Sophie hated him being a user, an addict. He hated it too. The world was too bleak for Frank. To Turtle was his get out. Sophie didn't know that Frank was an Outer, someone who planned to punch his ticket early. But he wanted to set Sophie free and on his own terms. To OD on Turtle was a risk. Brain slows to less than a single percentage. Heart accelerates, body overheats, dehydrates. You fully detach. Dead in minutes, perceived as days. No-one comes back from ’The Long Blink Out’. Frank had taken Sophie to her favourite resturant, talked the talk about rehab and recovery. Excused himself and necked two bottles of pure Turtle. He planned the kick for after he had returned, in the pleasant spirit of the evening. To end on a final frame of her smiling. Sure it was selfish. Frank wasn’t a good person. Hadn’t gone to plan though. Sophie was a smart girl. Evenings like this, when it came to Frank, were rare, signs of a change. She had predicted a break-up, and from a certain point of view she was right. Whilst excused, Sophie had started to cry, and when Frank had returned, Sophie was no longer smiling and had decided to be the one to leave. If Frank was going to throw his life away on Turtle, why fight? Show strength and be the separator, right? Frank stared at Sophie as she began her goodbye. The Turtle kicked in. What he saw in that final frame, as everything stopped, was of a young woman, tears streaming, lips quivering, looking away. That last taste of eternity, bitter. He couldn’t turn away.