(Reveal the face) (Sniff) I like crowded place. Good morning, everybody, I am the Death, owner of this Death Notebook. As you all know it: once your name appears in the blank page, very quickly you’ll die. In the past, I used to haunt for souls, but recently I don’t have to. I just sit back, awaiting people to throw themselves to me. You see, in the past few years, I’ve got some big names on my death list: 大炳, Whitney Houston, Chris Kelly, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cory Monteith. All of them died from drug abuse, either Ketamine, heroine, MDMA, or Marihuana. Thanks to these brilliant inventions created by your own kind, they saved me a lot of work.

        I got to say, I am impressed by how you came up with these magical pills and powder. They are so brilliantly designed that they bring you nothing but euphoria, high level of energy, and wonderful delusion. Heee…gradually, increased tolerance brings frustration, exhaustion and lack of motivation. In no time, your life is stripped down to buying drugs, using drugs, and increasing dose of drugs to achieve the “high.” All I have to do is wait for that one deadly overdose and then your soul.

        Let’s see how many I got today. Hmmm..I had 52 lives. Watching them trembling, feeling helpless just make my day. Wait! There was one guy who escaped. This cunning pathetic bastard, Luke. I knew it I knew it. When his nightclub friends led him into the world of drugs, I thought I would have him sooner or later. Because he became addicted to how drugs fill a void in his life. With dilated pupils, Luke seemed to see a new world. He experienced a new self, more confident, less sober and less depressed. The needles pin into his skins and the drugs start pushing their way into his body and finally to the brain. It was amazing. These drugs change the way your brain feel pleasure. Once these changes take place, it’s challenging for addicts to stay drug-free. They often experience intense cravings, driven by habit, almost reflex. Twice a week became twice a day then twice an hour. Luke lost his motivation to work and got fired. At last, Luke almost led his life on the toilet after his bladder shrank to the point that it couldn’t store urine. In the end, he had no money to buy drugs so he robbed a woman on the street. He then got caught by the police and was sent to a rehab. He lost his job, friends and life.

        His parents paid him visits every day. Ha, Rehab! Rehab could never beat me. Luke went to a rehab but he couldn’t stand the craving for drugs. It felt as if there were thousands of ants crawling all over his body and he couldn’t stop sweating. He threw his head against the wall, screaming and yelling. He escaped a week later and took the drug again. I was so close to have his soul.

        However, his parents just wouldn’t let go. They never left him, bringing in doctors, counselors and treatment. Social workers scheduled programs, from where he started to paint again, his ridiculous old-time hobby. Tears of his mother and father’s encouragement pushed Luke further away from me. I couldn’t bear to see this; it was disgusting to see love and support in the air. The longer Luke stayed away from drugs, the less capable I was of haunting him down. Until today, I totally lost him.

        This is a tough lesson for me, but I wouldn’t back down. I can guarantee you there will be more drugs circulating in the market. If you think getting rid of addiction is not that difficult so you take drugs, I am on your side. If you can’t resist the temptation and take drugs out of curiosity, I will say “enjoy” and welcome to the dark world. Watch out! Everybody. Until next time ~ good-bye.