798Please respect copyright.PENANA6Qxhm22YlG
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798Please respect copyright.PENANAklXP1hhdPP
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
798Please respect copyright.PENANA4UHi2GI6kh
798Please respect copyright.PENANAl1ia8TjDqN
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798Please respect copyright.PENANAPtDdGNHsfr
798Please respect copyright.PENANAPtDdGNHsfr
798Please respect copyright.PENANA2KduwX8gQy
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAtKCsMAflJh
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."798Please respect copyright.PENANA1pyOtzPLv5
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."798Please respect copyright.PENANAuKSCU6fTIv
"Yeah."798Please respect copyright.PENANAhE9BQTivuH
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."798Please respect copyright.PENANApSUA9IEKmk
"Something you want to talk about?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAVwVU08E71V
"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.798Please respect copyright.PENANA6cVlAHNKtz
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."798Please respect copyright.PENANAKLB5wbK1Sy
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."798Please respect copyright.PENANA38Y293HWxE
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.798Please respect copyright.PENANAxrlatWYsFD
I consider the offer. 798Please respect copyright.PENANA28D6fsW4W9
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAVqwtqWHOmb
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."798Please respect copyright.PENANAZccORFuZdX
"Good. Go to sleep."798Please respect copyright.PENANAzHOiXhe1un
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.798Please respect copyright.PENANANC3Dz7n93g
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.798Please respect copyright.PENANAn4pgodx45H
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
798Please respect copyright.PENANAzQFJ4ZIdkGDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."798Please respect copyright.PENANA1pyOtzPLv5
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."798Please respect copyright.PENANAuKSCU6fTIv
"Yeah."798Please respect copyright.PENANAhE9BQTivuH
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."798Please respect copyright.PENANApSUA9IEKmk
"Something you want to talk about?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAVwVU08E71V
"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.798Please respect copyright.PENANA6cVlAHNKtz
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."798Please respect copyright.PENANAKLB5wbK1Sy
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."798Please respect copyright.PENANA38Y293HWxE
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.798Please respect copyright.PENANAxrlatWYsFD
I consider the offer. 798Please respect copyright.PENANA28D6fsW4W9
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAVqwtqWHOmb
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."798Please respect copyright.PENANAZccORFuZdX
"Good. Go to sleep."798Please respect copyright.PENANAzHOiXhe1un
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.798Please respect copyright.PENANANC3Dz7n93g
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.798Please respect copyright.PENANAn4pgodx45H
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2798Please respect copyright.PENANAq9UOKrmvMk
798Please respect copyright.PENANAeCQcgVX1DA
798Please respect copyright.PENANAeCQcgVX1DA
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANASE8EZtgwmc
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANALmkHyubHNg
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"798Please respect copyright.PENANA8xf6WF5aEE
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAXUZlQTIGx2
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.798Please respect copyright.PENANATYFU7JVo73
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAS1fnCDvpKI
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.798Please respect copyright.PENANAQkCxHCznYe
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAhJUTolVxwT
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAMfbUIBvOdX
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.798Please respect copyright.PENANAYGBaoT1X2C
"Drugs," he says cryptically.798Please respect copyright.PENANAhMXsHMVret
"Hmm?" I ask.798Please respect copyright.PENANAllKAaITLg8
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.798Please respect copyright.PENANAVNq66FN9j4
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.798Please respect copyright.PENANAtIorpsUtRj
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?"798Please respect copyright.PENANA8CEhScrS1u
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAC908Alrkvh
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.798Please respect copyright.PENANAOfWOiNI5O5
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"798Please respect copyright.PENANA9flbByoJ8o
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."798Please respect copyright.PENANAxcMEpRHDpx
"So, how long are you?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAf8HaAUd1pq
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAjcDWdDBKKv
"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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAsA42BhjfpB
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANALmkHyubHNg
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"798Please respect copyright.PENANA8xf6WF5aEE
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAXUZlQTIGx2
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.798Please respect copyright.PENANATYFU7JVo73
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAS1fnCDvpKI
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.798Please respect copyright.PENANAQkCxHCznYe
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAhJUTolVxwT
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAMfbUIBvOdX
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.798Please respect copyright.PENANAYGBaoT1X2C
"Drugs," he says cryptically.798Please respect copyright.PENANAhMXsHMVret
"Hmm?" I ask.798Please respect copyright.PENANAllKAaITLg8
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.798Please respect copyright.PENANAVNq66FN9j4
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.798Please respect copyright.PENANAtIorpsUtRj
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?"798Please respect copyright.PENANA8CEhScrS1u
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAC908Alrkvh
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.798Please respect copyright.PENANAOfWOiNI5O5
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"798Please respect copyright.PENANA9flbByoJ8o
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."798Please respect copyright.PENANAxcMEpRHDpx
"So, how long are you?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAf8HaAUd1pq
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAjcDWdDBKKv
"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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAsA42BhjfpB
Bitch.
798Please respect copyright.PENANAeHobdEeB1I
798Please respect copyright.PENANAVQhls3BrPW
3798Please respect copyright.PENANA8IUSULoQUU
798Please respect copyright.PENANAokEt448iUQ
798Please respect copyright.PENANAokEt448iUQ
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAE6yP98Od5F
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAPqh2zw0GBX
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANACctlOQOTum
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.798Please respect copyright.PENANADOxONKcPIh
Some nerve.798Please respect copyright.PENANAmT8D9FXz54
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.798Please respect copyright.PENANACnXHuL7OPd
Never mind.798Please respect copyright.PENANAtXvKpkKXVx
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?798Please respect copyright.PENANALMNzoBy7mG
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?798Please respect copyright.PENANA9wYazxtvQm
The door swings open.798Please respect copyright.PENANAHDHAqM9Eco
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.798Please respect copyright.PENANAdhOkfuOcBw
"Hello."798Please respect copyright.PENANAipphgb0VdH
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAkrPivHKLVb
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.798Please respect copyright.PENANANnBLFTT0G0
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"798Please respect copyright.PENANARrNP0LPKvD
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAksmkDD9jqS
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?798Please respect copyright.PENANAEUJz11KfsR
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAs0ygZe6b53
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAYvDJsEiLfn
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."798Please respect copyright.PENANA6YAyvCy4SW
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.798Please respect copyright.PENANAKUU6oGmjtx
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.798Please respect copyright.PENANANs0VsOkQbM
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.798Please respect copyright.PENANAZvvHoVGvlU
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAPqh2zw0GBX
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANACctlOQOTum
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.798Please respect copyright.PENANADOxONKcPIh
Some nerve.798Please respect copyright.PENANAmT8D9FXz54
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.798Please respect copyright.PENANACnXHuL7OPd
Never mind.798Please respect copyright.PENANAtXvKpkKXVx
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?798Please respect copyright.PENANALMNzoBy7mG
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?798Please respect copyright.PENANA9wYazxtvQm
The door swings open.798Please respect copyright.PENANAHDHAqM9Eco
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.798Please respect copyright.PENANAdhOkfuOcBw
"Hello."798Please respect copyright.PENANAipphgb0VdH
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAkrPivHKLVb
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.798Please respect copyright.PENANANnBLFTT0G0
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"798Please respect copyright.PENANARrNP0LPKvD
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAksmkDD9jqS
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?798Please respect copyright.PENANAEUJz11KfsR
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAs0ygZe6b53
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAYvDJsEiLfn
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."798Please respect copyright.PENANA6YAyvCy4SW
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.798Please respect copyright.PENANAKUU6oGmjtx
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.798Please respect copyright.PENANANs0VsOkQbM
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.798Please respect copyright.PENANAZvvHoVGvlU
Huh. Funny dat.
798Please respect copyright.PENANA46gPtVi91a
798Please respect copyright.PENANAcdPo3epV6j
4
798Please respect copyright.PENANAhYkRcmXOcs
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?798Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8I3uXI0Kl
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAOY97S7UJTs
"Hey, Nick."798Please respect copyright.PENANA1s8gnVf17I
"Hey, Mike."798Please respect copyright.PENANAW6GL1Ilnr5
"What's good?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAn9VjqI836T
"Not much," he says with a sigh.798Please respect copyright.PENANAGgIBeiObpo
"How come?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAjF2Vw0aaTy
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.798Please respect copyright.PENANAETeXJBtQLX
"Where?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAJnrc7fYvsE
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAyZxu3b00ag
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.798Please respect copyright.PENANAQpVMoQcrkl
"Who's he?" I ask.798Please respect copyright.PENANAhzNIDJRDOd
"Stanley," Wannabe says.798Please respect copyright.PENANAS5Wm5rdJB7
"Oh."798Please respect copyright.PENANAkuyepX4Vsm
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAMToR2NPqqk
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.798Please respect copyright.PENANArw1nKwsv8J
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."798Please respect copyright.PENANAdROxn6ypcn
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.798Please respect copyright.PENANAMmjlaVXTfr
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"798Please respect copyright.PENANApq8FlIaArx
"Mike."798Please respect copyright.PENANAp3DnfutZbX
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAuLlicFO4nP
I keep my yap shut.798Please respect copyright.PENANAablhiAIDPt
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.798Please respect copyright.PENANAMWAAN5UY7o
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.798Please respect copyright.PENANAHTHUGTn0Dm
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.798Please respect copyright.PENANAKNYUAFxZvY
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.798Please respect copyright.PENANAk9kRtZDzRn
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.798Please respect copyright.PENANAgOzr6gvT4O
"Like what? LSD?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAKiB9ZbVlKZ
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.798Please respect copyright.PENANAxJRUOVyXW6
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."798Please respect copyright.PENANA5f38szR7j2
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.798Please respect copyright.PENANAZj9HOxUH33
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!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAHwjj0m4PQo
Everything changes then.798Please respect copyright.PENANASq8kfz43Av
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.798Please respect copyright.PENANAsVlijrQ6io
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAUq07Vw4Kgg
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.798Please respect copyright.PENANA6mKjO8BcTS
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAr9vqcUa1sq
No one listens. They laugh.798Please respect copyright.PENANAjAq7dQVRvZ
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!798Please respect copyright.PENANAQpOa6yGnUm
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAOTcFhHtKpf
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAnTXfNPOie0
A pull.798Please respect copyright.PENANA1M2A0xpGMm
Rip.798Please respect copyright.PENANAU0YAppO3SR
RIP.798Please respect copyright.PENANAyFdILG8LnL
I'm dead.798Please respect copyright.PENANA5L4tXWcCCy
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAOY97S7UJTs
"Hey, Nick."798Please respect copyright.PENANA1s8gnVf17I
"Hey, Mike."798Please respect copyright.PENANAW6GL1Ilnr5
"What's good?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAn9VjqI836T
"Not much," he says with a sigh.798Please respect copyright.PENANAGgIBeiObpo
"How come?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAjF2Vw0aaTy
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.798Please respect copyright.PENANAETeXJBtQLX
"Where?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAJnrc7fYvsE
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAyZxu3b00ag
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.798Please respect copyright.PENANAQpVMoQcrkl
"Who's he?" I ask.798Please respect copyright.PENANAhzNIDJRDOd
"Stanley," Wannabe says.798Please respect copyright.PENANAS5Wm5rdJB7
"Oh."798Please respect copyright.PENANAkuyepX4Vsm
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAMToR2NPqqk
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.798Please respect copyright.PENANArw1nKwsv8J
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."798Please respect copyright.PENANAdROxn6ypcn
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.798Please respect copyright.PENANAMmjlaVXTfr
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"798Please respect copyright.PENANApq8FlIaArx
"Mike."798Please respect copyright.PENANAp3DnfutZbX
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAuLlicFO4nP
I keep my yap shut.798Please respect copyright.PENANAablhiAIDPt
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.798Please respect copyright.PENANAMWAAN5UY7o
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.798Please respect copyright.PENANAHTHUGTn0Dm
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.798Please respect copyright.PENANAKNYUAFxZvY
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.798Please respect copyright.PENANAk9kRtZDzRn
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.798Please respect copyright.PENANAgOzr6gvT4O
"Like what? LSD?"798Please respect copyright.PENANAKiB9ZbVlKZ
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.798Please respect copyright.PENANAxJRUOVyXW6
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."798Please respect copyright.PENANA5f38szR7j2
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.798Please respect copyright.PENANAZj9HOxUH33
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!"798Please respect copyright.PENANAHwjj0m4PQo
Everything changes then.798Please respect copyright.PENANASq8kfz43Av
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.798Please respect copyright.PENANAsVlijrQ6io
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAUq07Vw4Kgg
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.798Please respect copyright.PENANA6mKjO8BcTS
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 798Please respect copyright.PENANAr9vqcUa1sq
No one listens. They laugh.798Please respect copyright.PENANAjAq7dQVRvZ
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!798Please respect copyright.PENANAQpOa6yGnUm
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAOTcFhHtKpf
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.798Please respect copyright.PENANAnTXfNPOie0
A pull.798Please respect copyright.PENANA1M2A0xpGMm
Rip.798Please respect copyright.PENANAU0YAppO3SR
RIP.798Please respect copyright.PENANAyFdILG8LnL
I'm dead.798Please respect copyright.PENANA5L4tXWcCCy
In bed.
798Please respect copyright.PENANAo2KbOtDdwD
798Please respect copyright.PENANAzOpz8T4RX7
?
798Please respect copyright.PENANAraYcd6O3oJ
THE Rain Has Fallen.798Please respect copyright.PENANA7266MIgxfj
No. That's not it.798Please respect copyright.PENANA0BVCqQ0qZr
They Came After The Rain.798Please respect copyright.PENANAvfUwP90Q7g
There it is.798Please respect copyright.PENANAomJHtyb73a
That's the one.798Please respect copyright.PENANADffwI4niBd
The end.
ns216.73.216.238da2 No. That's not it.798Please respect copyright.PENANA0BVCqQ0qZr
They Came After The Rain.798Please respect copyright.PENANAvfUwP90Q7g
There it is.798Please respect copyright.PENANAomJHtyb73a
That's the one.798Please respect copyright.PENANADffwI4niBd
The end.