748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0UFtRPWeH
-
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFExHZW69X
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4a3S4h0oUE
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIY2EnxNp1
1748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnplQYI06Ac
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhGP84y8BJ
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYhGP84y8BJ
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡooxLwoEZAe
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXkdPhtPi2
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0gX6NBPYO
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNVMxDz88J
"Yeah."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqtPgSEr6X
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DiGIdOJR4
"Something you want to talk about?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAn3sZMhDXr
"I see myself." I point across the living room, to where my doppelgänger is hiding behind double doors, peering out at me. He grins devilishly.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0jJ60Ogr1
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGRQQa2pMT
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFKgWrrH4G
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6jBMBq065
I consider the offer. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKyoN5QLjW
During the time it takes for me to make my considerations, the other me waves and waves and waves, trying to grab my attention. I don't give me any attention. Positively none.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sfcw9M94c
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUR64XjNWb
"Good. Go to sleep."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX0Qv3I2nN
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FOn6TAFon
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPkkrcEOJZ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87qV9CE7IxDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0gX6NBPYO
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNVMxDz88J
"Yeah."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqtPgSEr6X
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7DiGIdOJR4
"Something you want to talk about?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAn3sZMhDXr
"I see myself." I point across the living room, to where my doppelgänger is hiding behind double doors, peering out at me. He grins devilishly.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0jJ60Ogr1
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGRQQa2pMT
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFKgWrrH4G
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6jBMBq065
I consider the offer. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKyoN5QLjW
During the time it takes for me to make my considerations, the other me waves and waves and waves, trying to grab my attention. I don't give me any attention. Positively none.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8sfcw9M94c
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUR64XjNWb
"Good. Go to sleep."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX0Qv3I2nN
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FOn6TAFon
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPkkrcEOJZ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0OvR51ZVO
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZ1zmgQD0z
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZ1zmgQD0z
NOW I'm at a party. People I remember from my past are present. People are together who were never together. Sense is not the language being spoken.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNc0s0i8sly
I'm on the couch. Again. A different couch. Alone. Nodding off from sheer boredom. This is why I don't go to parties. I'd much rather stay home and occupy myself in ways only I can relate.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1LZMNrb2u
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLo6WYfZlWK
I turn to take in the ruckus. Brandon is pummelling a cute little mooshka doll, bashing and beating in its brains with a baseball bat. White, fluffy stuffing leaks from the ever-growing head wound. Soft skull battered, bruised, and cleaved. I'm both troubled and amused by the scene.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkwhwxHi8T
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2INhUlxYQX
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAky0oI8l4
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP6iI9rKJ9
As my old friend continues his savage beatdown of an innocent dolly, other partygoers disengage themselves from tepid conversations and instead opt to play witness to the ongoing spectacle.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIUOO3yVMS
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcSYix1bt5
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOGWwdEyin
"Drugs," he says cryptically.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoywCMV5cQ
"Hmm?" I ask.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWq5ZwZpmEm
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4kHPNtZpy
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHz1ZDffGlx
A blonde-haired girl I used to know—Sarah—sits beside me on the couch. With a shocking immediacy, she turns to me and starts to talk: "Hey, Mike. What's new with you?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLtwL3qWLj
I look into her shocking blue eyes. So blue. Does she like me? She said she loved me once. But that might have been smoke. Words. Without meaning. Just words. In any case, I never loved her. How could I? We never really connected.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YI8HMKDNm
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLdL1Fydy0
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOkyk38Q2Z
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIflL5xR6gJ
"So, how long are you?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYIYxsL2Bm
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwdscQDvH2
"Oh." She loses interest. Scoots over to the other end of the couch, as far away from me as she can get, and into the arms of her brown-haired girlfriend, Fiona. They giggle and hold each other.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgjzFphPMT
Bitch.
I'm on the couch. Again. A different couch. Alone. Nodding off from sheer boredom. This is why I don't go to parties. I'd much rather stay home and occupy myself in ways only I can relate.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1LZMNrb2u
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLo6WYfZlWK
I turn to take in the ruckus. Brandon is pummelling a cute little mooshka doll, bashing and beating in its brains with a baseball bat. White, fluffy stuffing leaks from the ever-growing head wound. Soft skull battered, bruised, and cleaved. I'm both troubled and amused by the scene.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkwhwxHi8T
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2INhUlxYQX
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAky0oI8l4
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzP6iI9rKJ9
As my old friend continues his savage beatdown of an innocent dolly, other partygoers disengage themselves from tepid conversations and instead opt to play witness to the ongoing spectacle.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIUOO3yVMS
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcSYix1bt5
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOGWwdEyin
"Drugs," he says cryptically.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoywCMV5cQ
"Hmm?" I ask.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWq5ZwZpmEm
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4kHPNtZpy
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHz1ZDffGlx
A blonde-haired girl I used to know—Sarah—sits beside me on the couch. With a shocking immediacy, she turns to me and starts to talk: "Hey, Mike. What's new with you?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLtwL3qWLj
I look into her shocking blue eyes. So blue. Does she like me? She said she loved me once. But that might have been smoke. Words. Without meaning. Just words. In any case, I never loved her. How could I? We never really connected.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YI8HMKDNm
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLdL1Fydy0
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOkyk38Q2Z
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIflL5xR6gJ
"So, how long are you?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYIYxsL2Bm
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwdscQDvH2
"Oh." She loses interest. Scoots over to the other end of the couch, as far away from me as she can get, and into the arms of her brown-haired girlfriend, Fiona. They giggle and hold each other.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgjzFphPMT
Bitch.
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByA0rW55vf
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZG5cd4odi
3748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwneqOyNZW
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSXA5Y3FOR
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYSXA5Y3FOR
WE pull into the driveway. I'm quick out of the car and even quicker into the house. I just want to sit and see my cats.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgkJHICsax
In the house. Through the hallway. Ginger is on the stairs, peering over the edge of the staircase like a scared little owl. Afraid of strangers. I'm no stranger to him and his ways. Bear is sleeping on my bed—peaceful, tranquil.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnc0xiWJCjS
My sister Lesley and her husband Jason enter the house. Riley, their dog, yaps behind them. Noisy bugger. Which is odd. He's usually quite quiet.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsn22Joc8d
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz0QcYRVbT
Some nerve.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYORqXBjK7G
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZuXmIPJYN
Never mind.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYUGGzwOpS
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFqz4UoWjo
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhOY0SFUUO
The door swings open.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyCvrFCKXQ
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEPEZm0PPG
"Hello."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWoMfRY90D
They don't wait for my approval before storming the castle. God damnit. What the hell happened to this world. Where did respect die, I wonder, so I know which hole to hide in.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdp9fSBXsNu
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0RtZ44dl8
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRYn83kGvE
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzNQxxruol
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hMNMN6QvK
The girls push me back through the hallway and there's nothing I can do to stop the flood of them. Woe is me. Oh, sweet woe.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9Fu4OhkKm
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08Ay9ffH85
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzeVQOi5Gp
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNwBEM48DM
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhK1FWalIp8
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulaGLTA1TH
Huh. Funny dat.
In the house. Through the hallway. Ginger is on the stairs, peering over the edge of the staircase like a scared little owl. Afraid of strangers. I'm no stranger to him and his ways. Bear is sleeping on my bed—peaceful, tranquil.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnc0xiWJCjS
My sister Lesley and her husband Jason enter the house. Riley, their dog, yaps behind them. Noisy bugger. Which is odd. He's usually quite quiet.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsn22Joc8d
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvz0QcYRVbT
Some nerve.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYORqXBjK7G
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZuXmIPJYN
Never mind.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYUGGzwOpS
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFqz4UoWjo
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhOY0SFUUO
The door swings open.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyCvrFCKXQ
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEPEZm0PPG
"Hello."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWoMfRY90D
They don't wait for my approval before storming the castle. God damnit. What the hell happened to this world. Where did respect die, I wonder, so I know which hole to hide in.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdp9fSBXsNu
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0RtZ44dl8
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRYn83kGvE
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzNQxxruol
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hMNMN6QvK
The girls push me back through the hallway and there's nothing I can do to stop the flood of them. Woe is me. Oh, sweet woe.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9Fu4OhkKm
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08Ay9ffH85
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzeVQOi5Gp
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNwBEM48DM
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhK1FWalIp8
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulaGLTA1TH
Huh. Funny dat.
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zIa5LwrXV
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPyL2gdkno
4
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNr9ecPxJ7O
WALKING down the street. There's my old school. Through the playground. The yard is empty. Where are all the kids? Oh yes, it's Monday. Wait. That doesn't make a lick of sense. What time is it? My non-existent watch says noon. Weird. What's the season, I wonder? Feels like summer. What year is it? Have I even been born yet?748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9BH4hZ4yHL
There's an old friend. Down by the sycamore tree. The tree that was never there. Interesting. It's grown mighty tall since I was last here... when it was never here. I meet the friend. Nick. Used to sell me drugs. Good stuff, too.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXXo8o7Jld
"Hey, Nick."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwVeFeRwSJ
"Hey, Mike."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Elnmrs6It
"What's good?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja8CfYL6Ml
"Not much," he says with a sigh.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUovHLwlQWT
"How come?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSgrjOwukd
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWoFJj8DwR
"Where?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa61IIO4gts
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzhYhB0qEE
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDRZmVxijY
"Who's he?" I ask.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlnQ23htGW
"Stanley," Wannabe says.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwAG0KypLE
"Oh."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwNMABpV7z
Stanley wears a black leather jacket, and blue Levi's jeans. His brown hair is slicked back and he smokes a filtered cigarette. "Bitches, man," Stanley says.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpGI5DqKYp
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVcJMlQw73
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCBjdgDYIj
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4T8r8vH5L
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfnLbp2gZU
"Mike."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRliqOOaIx4
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDG93ajytW
I keep my yap shut.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVBoLdy7cm
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPU2zPLKuF
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfnf0AoFNG
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HNWbx9U74
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTul0V8ZkBm
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KUktloBP0
"Like what? LSD?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiYuXkZqxA
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrGCu1oCFW
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIQFMh4JJX
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV9t8ouC3o
Stanley doesn't take my laughter kindly. "Easy, playa. I'm hard. Harder than you." Veins were popping out of his face in places I never knew veins existed. He looked about ready to pop. "I may not smoke drugs yet, but I will. What, you think I'm not bad? Huh? LOCKDOWN!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC62Ygt14Df
Everything changes then.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5f4DYFHB9V
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHz9Ao9rHs
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWjZAUnxtn
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAc6Pzb5aN
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQsWFvms0f
No one listens. They laugh.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EgAJ6fXJh
I try to get by a wall of rats when I feel two hands grip me around the kidneys. I look back and there's a smiling little girl. We've formed a chain. A chain of kids. Gripping each other. Gripping me. Let go. I don't like to be touched. Stop it!748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRgf2QKJHg
The pain is excruciating. Feels like fire. What the hell is wrong with them. They won't let go of me. I smack hands and attempt to remove them. They push harder. Feel the burn. Against my flesh. What is wrong with them. Why won't they stop.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwl1bS0AWP
I'm driven mad as fingers pierce skin and blood is drawn. Bleeding out. A hand enters one side of me. Another hand. Other side. Feel a tug on my organs.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReORwjMJAV
A pull.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFj0eyiEzh
Rip.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL08EmlYP7t
RIP.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZ6rTsYtd3
I'm dead.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdCl95CQkI
In bed.
There's an old friend. Down by the sycamore tree. The tree that was never there. Interesting. It's grown mighty tall since I was last here... when it was never here. I meet the friend. Nick. Used to sell me drugs. Good stuff, too.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXXo8o7Jld
"Hey, Nick."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwVeFeRwSJ
"Hey, Mike."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Elnmrs6It
"What's good?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja8CfYL6Ml
"Not much," he says with a sigh.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUovHLwlQWT
"How come?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSgrjOwukd
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWoFJj8DwR
"Where?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa61IIO4gts
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzhYhB0qEE
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkDRZmVxijY
"Who's he?" I ask.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlnQ23htGW
"Stanley," Wannabe says.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwAG0KypLE
"Oh."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwNMABpV7z
Stanley wears a black leather jacket, and blue Levi's jeans. His brown hair is slicked back and he smokes a filtered cigarette. "Bitches, man," Stanley says.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpGI5DqKYp
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVcJMlQw73
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCBjdgDYIj
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4T8r8vH5L
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfnLbp2gZU
"Mike."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRliqOOaIx4
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDG93ajytW
I keep my yap shut.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVBoLdy7cm
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPU2zPLKuF
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfnf0AoFNG
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HNWbx9U74
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTul0V8ZkBm
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KUktloBP0
"Like what? LSD?"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiYuXkZqxA
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrGCu1oCFW
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIQFMh4JJX
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV9t8ouC3o
Stanley doesn't take my laughter kindly. "Easy, playa. I'm hard. Harder than you." Veins were popping out of his face in places I never knew veins existed. He looked about ready to pop. "I may not smoke drugs yet, but I will. What, you think I'm not bad? Huh? LOCKDOWN!"748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC62Ygt14Df
Everything changes then.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5f4DYFHB9V
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHz9Ao9rHs
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWjZAUnxtn
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAc6Pzb5aN
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQsWFvms0f
No one listens. They laugh.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EgAJ6fXJh
I try to get by a wall of rats when I feel two hands grip me around the kidneys. I look back and there's a smiling little girl. We've formed a chain. A chain of kids. Gripping each other. Gripping me. Let go. I don't like to be touched. Stop it!748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRgf2QKJHg
The pain is excruciating. Feels like fire. What the hell is wrong with them. They won't let go of me. I smack hands and attempt to remove them. They push harder. Feel the burn. Against my flesh. What is wrong with them. Why won't they stop.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwl1bS0AWP
I'm driven mad as fingers pierce skin and blood is drawn. Bleeding out. A hand enters one side of me. Another hand. Other side. Feel a tug on my organs.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReORwjMJAV
A pull.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFj0eyiEzh
Rip.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL08EmlYP7t
RIP.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZ6rTsYtd3
I'm dead.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdCl95CQkI
In bed.
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0YjjCKv1l
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tXZQ2137l
?
748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtmSrr2nGr
THE Rain Has Fallen.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfpG1UoZDF
No. That's not it.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDdqDH0O1W
They Came After The Rain.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBJk003Dqo
There it is.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMZwRhNnFj
That's the one.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DnCwxO8jn
The end.
ns216.73.216.86da2 No. That's not it.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDdqDH0O1W
They Came After The Rain.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBJk003Dqo
There it is.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMZwRhNnFj
That's the one.748Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DnCwxO8jn
The end.
