721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH4rsjKfGB
-
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0t4kkC6rpU
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw72bfYu5YH
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoUDNcfk00
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17w0VBEzIV
"Yeah."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMWdTtaPSe
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRH4QlO3M6L
"Something you want to talk about?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvPxPeIUYd
"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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIN7oVfCnY
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8756GFqBK
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhlOAROE7f
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN12cnceaL1
I consider the offer. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0vMKUQoh9
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jHjYnJwB9
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyMHKkjnCB
"Good. Go to sleep."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyCEfJBxO4
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KEwZgkADt
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXTg0DGH1Z
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXHHwNB6UqwDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoUDNcfk00
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ17w0VBEzIV
"Yeah."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMWdTtaPSe
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRH4QlO3M6L
"Something you want to talk about?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvPxPeIUYd
"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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIN7oVfCnY
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8756GFqBK
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEhlOAROE7f
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN12cnceaL1
I consider the offer. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0vMKUQoh9
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jHjYnJwB9
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyMHKkjnCB
"Good. Go to sleep."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyCEfJBxO4
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7KEwZgkADt
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXTg0DGH1Z
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSG6Lftiv8X
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaI2qW5SQ2
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaI2qW5SQ2
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdr8xEAiIR
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI5K4brmb4
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeD1ILfmRh
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVma3Y1gRM
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAMEL2PvQ4
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6lHsFRY6w
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43lBPUnxUb
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUCZ19oacK
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TbQeuHSTB
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvkEnPeCjH
"Drugs," he says cryptically.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwqkkpnAMi
"Hmm?" I ask.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4pAmdiB31
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc65D7w7JF4
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zhMKuTpho
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?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsSZMOpVbQ
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNbbZlD0q6
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYRYH8MEc6
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoB5oYgb5bS
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASbZolq4LO
"So, how long are you?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8P7McFVLh
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdEn4Nmu4A
"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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CBwHvOUcT
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI5K4brmb4
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeD1ILfmRh
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVma3Y1gRM
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAMEL2PvQ4
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6lHsFRY6w
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43lBPUnxUb
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUCZ19oacK
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TbQeuHSTB
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvkEnPeCjH
"Drugs," he says cryptically.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwqkkpnAMi
"Hmm?" I ask.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4pAmdiB31
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc65D7w7JF4
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4zhMKuTpho
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?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsSZMOpVbQ
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNbbZlD0q6
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYRYH8MEc6
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoB5oYgb5bS
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASbZolq4LO
"So, how long are you?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8P7McFVLh
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdEn4Nmu4A
"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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CBwHvOUcT
Bitch.
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNsy2U6Jezg
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKFTxpGKqm
3721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyb2NkqPEpu
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721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VaGftVnfG
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEMMQPYCiR
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60fsMJHLI9
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuw0tSaHMo
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPU5UY3LPNn
Some nerve.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfWh8gqY8Q
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0ek78QD7W
Never mind.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAAk1TgrVA
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQ5Npflogs
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSjwl8u6Zx
The door swings open.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLJlzwi2O8
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpJAFYj5Hm
"Hello."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPjYjb3Yxx
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwORrP3lwW
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbKEpHiBeN
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgjvRfZ2Kn
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlnjwjxjSa
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oWWzXUQKP
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1BzAT1lgv
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS6gX7Nne0
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSeIVUwMp7
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsxHgvJEko
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV86lIkLBdG
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoU3TEXVBw3
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60fsMJHLI9
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuw0tSaHMo
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPU5UY3LPNn
Some nerve.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfWh8gqY8Q
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0ek78QD7W
Never mind.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAAk1TgrVA
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQ5Npflogs
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSjwl8u6Zx
The door swings open.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLJlzwi2O8
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpJAFYj5Hm
"Hello."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEPjYjb3Yxx
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwORrP3lwW
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbKEpHiBeN
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgjvRfZ2Kn
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlnjwjxjSa
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oWWzXUQKP
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1BzAT1lgv
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS6gX7Nne0
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSeIVUwMp7
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsxHgvJEko
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV86lIkLBdG
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoU3TEXVBw3
Huh. Funny dat.
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7owLGJivP
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACI0WbPivO
4
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73nG8Ui2Tx
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?721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TqxONDG3x
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJwE8r0QxT
"Hey, Nick."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVZ5158AX7
"Hey, Mike."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEC2jNdZuf
"What's good?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrRbLHiCpS
"Not much," he says with a sigh.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HmGQNDXFQ
"How come?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69l7IUzKjD
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MNDoDTUFt
"Where?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcPC4WbkYt
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KXjcgWha4
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UC1osmm2U
"Who's he?" I ask.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsGhswCGfb
"Stanley," Wannabe says.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXz87JwJBJq
"Oh."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEPavVGHLM
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRJyjlHTgP
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mrRn7STwT
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHt9Z4cotm1
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuigS0jycUn
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDfUGKgMf1
"Mike."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy00s4qQzAc
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIzuIxuhPx
I keep my yap shut.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsX2Jd69lQ
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fIuWBAbWC
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowsmrdpmCT
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnKHyYetCG
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMegAfQrWt
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP22T2CtWf8
"Like what? LSD?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mDdEuyhyq
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCtb6SoIFa
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOxIlTUy1c
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWI2Nn975c
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!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pm7l8FZNd
Everything changes then.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOuC2z7JeP
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYNUOg3uFo
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZyArTUMP2
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWg4f8YJOn
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMz2F1CaeJu
No one listens. They laugh.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpAidP8EUa
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!721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1lrza6fHQ
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZF4c377Ru
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKpJ87KQX9
A pull.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9Yyt0flI1
Rip.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UYHAlfSVw
RIP.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3ZrtSxTeH
I'm dead.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioDcCKXaGI
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJwE8r0QxT
"Hey, Nick."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVZ5158AX7
"Hey, Mike."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEC2jNdZuf
"What's good?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmrRbLHiCpS
"Not much," he says with a sigh.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HmGQNDXFQ
"How come?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69l7IUzKjD
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MNDoDTUFt
"Where?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcPC4WbkYt
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KXjcgWha4
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UC1osmm2U
"Who's he?" I ask.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsGhswCGfb
"Stanley," Wannabe says.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXz87JwJBJq
"Oh."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEPavVGHLM
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRJyjlHTgP
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mrRn7STwT
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHt9Z4cotm1
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuigS0jycUn
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDfUGKgMf1
"Mike."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy00s4qQzAc
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIzuIxuhPx
I keep my yap shut.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTsX2Jd69lQ
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8fIuWBAbWC
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowsmrdpmCT
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnKHyYetCG
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMegAfQrWt
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP22T2CtWf8
"Like what? LSD?"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mDdEuyhyq
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCtb6SoIFa
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOxIlTUy1c
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWI2Nn975c
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!"721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Pm7l8FZNd
Everything changes then.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOuC2z7JeP
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYNUOg3uFo
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZyArTUMP2
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWg4f8YJOn
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMz2F1CaeJu
No one listens. They laugh.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpAidP8EUa
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!721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1lrza6fHQ
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZF4c377Ru
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.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKpJ87KQX9
A pull.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9Yyt0flI1
Rip.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UYHAlfSVw
RIP.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3ZrtSxTeH
I'm dead.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioDcCKXaGI
In bed.
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnzWwlMkUB
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnE72k6K4Tl
?
721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pVBcgrlHR
THE Rain Has Fallen.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQQz4LFMag
No. That's not it.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumqMItRtjS
They Came After The Rain.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbjjl1f3np
There it is.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DHMLtm1nJ
That's the one.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PgH2jq88q
The end.
ns3.137.163.99da2 No. That's not it.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumqMItRtjS
They Came After The Rain.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbjjl1f3np
There it is.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DHMLtm1nJ
That's the one.721Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PgH2jq88q
The end.
