x
572Please respect copyright.PENANA0MFq80QjWj
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572Please respect copyright.PENANAXn5CBclpxo
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
572Please respect copyright.PENANAZdiyfmavgu
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1572Please respect copyright.PENANAscKLuM1ncf
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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. 572Please respect copyright.PENANAD2xHAbvTLd
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."572Please respect copyright.PENANAs2HVwZyrvf
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."572Please respect copyright.PENANAyZTgFSs5tp
"Yeah."572Please respect copyright.PENANArJ20y2XIUl
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."572Please respect copyright.PENANA0Zl6I6fnzi
"Something you want to talk about?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAY0eOgdE82W
"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.572Please respect copyright.PENANANALYtdS5zG
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."572Please respect copyright.PENANAQNwAAruoRG
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."572Please respect copyright.PENANA1KdidRhpV1
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.572Please respect copyright.PENANAXnZII5W9Mx
I consider the offer. 572Please respect copyright.PENANATBjCuyZPHC
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAZg7bqtAJvz
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."572Please respect copyright.PENANAfHuK9s0ctw
"Good. Go to sleep."572Please respect copyright.PENANA7GsnDEkTEx
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.572Please respect copyright.PENANAQRhKDchGNp
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.572Please respect copyright.PENANA4oQn7fsfeW
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
572Please respect copyright.PENANAW7Yg5m5B8zDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."572Please respect copyright.PENANAs2HVwZyrvf
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."572Please respect copyright.PENANAyZTgFSs5tp
"Yeah."572Please respect copyright.PENANArJ20y2XIUl
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."572Please respect copyright.PENANA0Zl6I6fnzi
"Something you want to talk about?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAY0eOgdE82W
"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.572Please respect copyright.PENANANALYtdS5zG
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."572Please respect copyright.PENANAQNwAAruoRG
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."572Please respect copyright.PENANA1KdidRhpV1
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.572Please respect copyright.PENANAXnZII5W9Mx
I consider the offer. 572Please respect copyright.PENANATBjCuyZPHC
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAZg7bqtAJvz
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."572Please respect copyright.PENANAfHuK9s0ctw
"Good. Go to sleep."572Please respect copyright.PENANA7GsnDEkTEx
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.572Please respect copyright.PENANAQRhKDchGNp
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.572Please respect copyright.PENANA4oQn7fsfeW
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2572Please respect copyright.PENANAqDMLjhALm1
572Please respect copyright.PENANAOyoxGQcp5r
572Please respect copyright.PENANAOyoxGQcp5r
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANACQ7K6N1dVc
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAdnoF42BVkQ
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"572Please respect copyright.PENANA6lsg6riyuq
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANA5vZ88BTqkw
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.572Please respect copyright.PENANATnbW5OaYpa
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"572Please respect copyright.PENANASYvTb4j58Y
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2a87gmRwrz
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAGzI0I5NyYB
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAmgLI0ENIsa
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.572Please respect copyright.PENANAEAR907pyen
"Drugs," he says cryptically.572Please respect copyright.PENANA9UVBoHrU7l
"Hmm?" I ask.572Please respect copyright.PENANAPmlgXYvLMy
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.572Please respect copyright.PENANAiHzJllv9WT
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.572Please respect copyright.PENANAy56xfxAZI9
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?"572Please respect copyright.PENANA9jvUPl97yY
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAlgitAmF9yT
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.572Please respect copyright.PENANAGFHLGF4KQq
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAZlxR2i9Jr5
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."572Please respect copyright.PENANAlhAuHvQzA0
"So, how long are you?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAOqOSoolTl7
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAuqIQDvfQ3q
"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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAT1I0m9c18A
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAdnoF42BVkQ
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"572Please respect copyright.PENANA6lsg6riyuq
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANA5vZ88BTqkw
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.572Please respect copyright.PENANATnbW5OaYpa
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"572Please respect copyright.PENANASYvTb4j58Y
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2a87gmRwrz
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAGzI0I5NyYB
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAmgLI0ENIsa
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.572Please respect copyright.PENANAEAR907pyen
"Drugs," he says cryptically.572Please respect copyright.PENANA9UVBoHrU7l
"Hmm?" I ask.572Please respect copyright.PENANAPmlgXYvLMy
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.572Please respect copyright.PENANAiHzJllv9WT
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.572Please respect copyright.PENANAy56xfxAZI9
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?"572Please respect copyright.PENANA9jvUPl97yY
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAlgitAmF9yT
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.572Please respect copyright.PENANAGFHLGF4KQq
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAZlxR2i9Jr5
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."572Please respect copyright.PENANAlhAuHvQzA0
"So, how long are you?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAOqOSoolTl7
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAuqIQDvfQ3q
"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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAT1I0m9c18A
Bitch.
572Please respect copyright.PENANAJkQORb0rNf
572Please respect copyright.PENANARwm8vJpCRA
3572Please respect copyright.PENANACFtKnXsUfE
572Please respect copyright.PENANAk3c1ojeg4U
572Please respect copyright.PENANAk3c1ojeg4U
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2hHkbty169
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANANEtZc4JyJB
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANA6sfaEZamq0
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2TwKcrow8W
Some nerve.572Please respect copyright.PENANASN658cUqIw
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2X2OMGD6Jm
Never mind.572Please respect copyright.PENANA5iBMb2DEBI
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?572Please respect copyright.PENANAd507Quu0sk
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?572Please respect copyright.PENANAY0qHbftzwv
The door swings open.572Please respect copyright.PENANA9smaOSG0HV
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.572Please respect copyright.PENANAS939KaNrdO
"Hello."572Please respect copyright.PENANAyPBgBCZdqy
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtTorfPzjbn
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.572Please respect copyright.PENANA1Uz6RFjVWO
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAHV2AiNGDVZ
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAMqmRF34THF
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?572Please respect copyright.PENANA7TDRpPs0QL
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAuxX0QfNnpm
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAaW6H7moSqe
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."572Please respect copyright.PENANAj4RZrarS8w
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.572Please respect copyright.PENANAdIZWAavD1Z
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.572Please respect copyright.PENANAPXkG2SCwib
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.572Please respect copyright.PENANAJ656jBwq02
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANANEtZc4JyJB
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANA6sfaEZamq0
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2TwKcrow8W
Some nerve.572Please respect copyright.PENANASN658cUqIw
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.572Please respect copyright.PENANA2X2OMGD6Jm
Never mind.572Please respect copyright.PENANA5iBMb2DEBI
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?572Please respect copyright.PENANAd507Quu0sk
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?572Please respect copyright.PENANAY0qHbftzwv
The door swings open.572Please respect copyright.PENANA9smaOSG0HV
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.572Please respect copyright.PENANAS939KaNrdO
"Hello."572Please respect copyright.PENANAyPBgBCZdqy
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtTorfPzjbn
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.572Please respect copyright.PENANA1Uz6RFjVWO
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAHV2AiNGDVZ
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAMqmRF34THF
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?572Please respect copyright.PENANA7TDRpPs0QL
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAuxX0QfNnpm
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAaW6H7moSqe
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."572Please respect copyright.PENANAj4RZrarS8w
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.572Please respect copyright.PENANAdIZWAavD1Z
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.572Please respect copyright.PENANAPXkG2SCwib
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.572Please respect copyright.PENANAJ656jBwq02
Huh. Funny dat.
572Please respect copyright.PENANA7UwJspbrzM
572Please respect copyright.PENANAoFPDCvIXKF
4
572Please respect copyright.PENANARXru64qlOb
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?572Please respect copyright.PENANAytAmplUmrq
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtOCf1Hj91E
"Hey, Nick."572Please respect copyright.PENANAqN0JPtnPTq
"Hey, Mike."572Please respect copyright.PENANAMWHV1H8Rms
"What's good?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAX0h9f83adA
"Not much," he says with a sigh.572Please respect copyright.PENANAU8c5tVvtbc
"How come?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAyMRcy532Pe
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.572Please respect copyright.PENANA3jnmLEukdd
"Where?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAJV6t1Jm0Yu
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 572Please respect copyright.PENANApNvNXhn8pP
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtWrfJSSoJp
"Who's he?" I ask.572Please respect copyright.PENANA7SoQIx6W3i
"Stanley," Wannabe says.572Please respect copyright.PENANAqjywtwa1pz
"Oh."572Please respect copyright.PENANAgykdOS9UDs
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAugq0J6G2OH
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.572Please respect copyright.PENANAb9HubRPCGJ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."572Please respect copyright.PENANAoWV9TSjq1T
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtNjG77oGKm
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAoMspwAepyb
"Mike."572Please respect copyright.PENANAEDncrUy9fP
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAM33khgpPfn
I keep my yap shut.572Please respect copyright.PENANAyCQvZ37TyQ
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.572Please respect copyright.PENANADP142G4cbP
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.572Please respect copyright.PENANAmgfqLzg10s
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.572Please respect copyright.PENANA8CGCJcARIZ
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.572Please respect copyright.PENANA6uz9qmw61k
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.572Please respect copyright.PENANAlAuCJI86G2
"Like what? LSD?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAQFFhceo4oD
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.572Please respect copyright.PENANAllybjqWaCH
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."572Please respect copyright.PENANAg9Lg4O1EJI
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.572Please respect copyright.PENANAGqJfx3WlUJ
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!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAJSxe5QHHC1
Everything changes then.572Please respect copyright.PENANAgTpdYYM5wp
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.572Please respect copyright.PENANAHmnLwuyK0I
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 572Please respect copyright.PENANAyUbyJEOh9l
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.572Please respect copyright.PENANASnDtEveZVe
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 572Please respect copyright.PENANAbUysBF1u4w
No one listens. They laugh.572Please respect copyright.PENANAToBs2R8YgT
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!572Please respect copyright.PENANAZDt8ZtNHvc
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAjABARhXpD7
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAFsqtKqR97P
A pull.572Please respect copyright.PENANApJLxx8SqQA
Rip.572Please respect copyright.PENANAVq2sSszV0z
RIP.572Please respect copyright.PENANAC5Zq9eqky2
I'm dead.572Please respect copyright.PENANAsVfFGnVMrR
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtOCf1Hj91E
"Hey, Nick."572Please respect copyright.PENANAqN0JPtnPTq
"Hey, Mike."572Please respect copyright.PENANAMWHV1H8Rms
"What's good?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAX0h9f83adA
"Not much," he says with a sigh.572Please respect copyright.PENANAU8c5tVvtbc
"How come?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAyMRcy532Pe
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.572Please respect copyright.PENANA3jnmLEukdd
"Where?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAJV6t1Jm0Yu
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 572Please respect copyright.PENANApNvNXhn8pP
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtWrfJSSoJp
"Who's he?" I ask.572Please respect copyright.PENANA7SoQIx6W3i
"Stanley," Wannabe says.572Please respect copyright.PENANAqjywtwa1pz
"Oh."572Please respect copyright.PENANAgykdOS9UDs
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAugq0J6G2OH
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.572Please respect copyright.PENANAb9HubRPCGJ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."572Please respect copyright.PENANAoWV9TSjq1T
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.572Please respect copyright.PENANAtNjG77oGKm
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAoMspwAepyb
"Mike."572Please respect copyright.PENANAEDncrUy9fP
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAM33khgpPfn
I keep my yap shut.572Please respect copyright.PENANAyCQvZ37TyQ
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.572Please respect copyright.PENANADP142G4cbP
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.572Please respect copyright.PENANAmgfqLzg10s
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.572Please respect copyright.PENANA8CGCJcARIZ
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.572Please respect copyright.PENANA6uz9qmw61k
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.572Please respect copyright.PENANAlAuCJI86G2
"Like what? LSD?"572Please respect copyright.PENANAQFFhceo4oD
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.572Please respect copyright.PENANAllybjqWaCH
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."572Please respect copyright.PENANAg9Lg4O1EJI
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.572Please respect copyright.PENANAGqJfx3WlUJ
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!"572Please respect copyright.PENANAJSxe5QHHC1
Everything changes then.572Please respect copyright.PENANAgTpdYYM5wp
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.572Please respect copyright.PENANAHmnLwuyK0I
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 572Please respect copyright.PENANAyUbyJEOh9l
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.572Please respect copyright.PENANASnDtEveZVe
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 572Please respect copyright.PENANAbUysBF1u4w
No one listens. They laugh.572Please respect copyright.PENANAToBs2R8YgT
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!572Please respect copyright.PENANAZDt8ZtNHvc
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAjABARhXpD7
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.572Please respect copyright.PENANAFsqtKqR97P
A pull.572Please respect copyright.PENANApJLxx8SqQA
Rip.572Please respect copyright.PENANAVq2sSszV0z
RIP.572Please respect copyright.PENANAC5Zq9eqky2
I'm dead.572Please respect copyright.PENANAsVfFGnVMrR
In bed.
572Please respect copyright.PENANAtJFZBScnoi
572Please respect copyright.PENANAzbAsJlnow8
?
572Please respect copyright.PENANA5oOaVzJ2gV
THE Rain Has Fallen.572Please respect copyright.PENANAIyIB2xngAW
No. That's not it.572Please respect copyright.PENANACAjpisUjBL
They Came After The Rain.572Please respect copyright.PENANAJDzPIKdr28
There it is.572Please respect copyright.PENANAB7p6hoHqbo
That's the one.572Please respect copyright.PENANA0LJR2EJZZd
The end.
ns 172.71.254.107da2 No. That's not it.572Please respect copyright.PENANACAjpisUjBL
They Came After The Rain.572Please respect copyright.PENANAJDzPIKdr28
There it is.572Please respect copyright.PENANAB7p6hoHqbo
That's the one.572Please respect copyright.PENANA0LJR2EJZZd
The end.