Louisa May Alcott on love and hashish

"A heavenly dreaminess comes over one, in which they move as if on air. Everything is calm and lovely to them: no pain, no care, no fear of anything, and while it lasts one feels like an angel half asleep." Louisa May Alcott on the effects of hashish, Perilous Play 1876

Seven years after publishing Little Women, Louisa May Alcott authored a strange, hash-fueled love story called Perilous Play. It begins with a challenge by a bored and bossy socialite named Belle.

“... We are all nearly tired to death of cards, croquet, and gossip, so what shall we do to while away this endless afternoon? Dr. Meredith, I command you to invent and propose a new game in five minutes."

When the young doctor busts out a box of hash edibles, a lazy picnic turns into a wild night of near-death experiences and unexpected love connections. Alcott closes Perilous Play with a quote that I’m seriously considering for my headstone.

“Heaven bless hashish, if its dreams end like this!"

You can read the whole story at Project Gutenberg Australia thanks to the wonders of the internet and the limits of copyright law. Happy hump day lovers!