769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcX53QmW3HL
-
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡopUKtbym2Z
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW2RGKpU73
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOgw7zxmVj
1769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpF5QmglRK
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhXW8S2SEP
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhXW8S2SEP
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3o7TjbEOJv
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8frL4RRKB
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc8AegOTnt
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡio9YL7Sb7l
"Yeah."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r8KNg7e2V
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznpdyJwalq
"Something you want to talk about?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdboxJE6Y1
"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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1ZEJi0dnx
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10INuRG0kE
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbDs4SPztI
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ27dVsYEF
I consider the offer. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCn7LT8kPd
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEY533K6sX
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fiRTVtDLt
"Good. Go to sleep."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDYB7fchpl
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHGnnKA7qU
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpO4whWZgC
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gLblaRYyaDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSc8AegOTnt
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡio9YL7Sb7l
"Yeah."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r8KNg7e2V
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznpdyJwalq
"Something you want to talk about?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdboxJE6Y1
"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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1ZEJi0dnx
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10INuRG0kE
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbDs4SPztI
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQ27dVsYEF
I consider the offer. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCn7LT8kPd
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEY533K6sX
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fiRTVtDLt
"Good. Go to sleep."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDYB7fchpl
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHGnnKA7qU
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpO4whWZgC
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGMwF9GjUe
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgrC0Emluw
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgrC0Emluw
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEWny7Rh98
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡii4IAUgu1P
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IgRgdDAob
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyF68AYlHt
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolTZkTWxhM
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZwlxs8AFa
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIoqQl81PG
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEjia7kDwI
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA4akOyjVM
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSSBotZwbK
"Drugs," he says cryptically.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvstK3TJeW
"Hmm?" I ask.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyheoxAE4S
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXbC0Yjw9k
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVRwqTjqMq
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?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81kNmAYidZ
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPygT0dvzUE
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzYBamdqWh
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnefp8xCU03
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhTdUCHozm
"So, how long are you?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UvV75J7kW
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42VeMjp9aU
"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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7QLEhYK7X
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡii4IAUgu1P
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IgRgdDAob
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyF68AYlHt
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolTZkTWxhM
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZwlxs8AFa
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIoqQl81PG
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEjia7kDwI
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA4akOyjVM
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSSBotZwbK
"Drugs," he says cryptically.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvstK3TJeW
"Hmm?" I ask.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyheoxAE4S
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXbC0Yjw9k
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVRwqTjqMq
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?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81kNmAYidZ
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPygT0dvzUE
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzYBamdqWh
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnefp8xCU03
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhTdUCHozm
"So, how long are you?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UvV75J7kW
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42VeMjp9aU
"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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7QLEhYK7X
Bitch.
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXYF4Qf590y
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7tSWnnfem
3769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVdu8aNfoe
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlfMx0Q1Mf
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlfMx0Q1Mf
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9428wKxo3
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmISRO7GJ0
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp05YjbXQCr
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56eJNuIAMe
Some nerve.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDWZfr6K1B
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v809w8wyq
Never mind.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgde3b6ZcuJ
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOHcAbqkIu
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6rJbaazd3
The door swings open.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflYTp37mhd
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreTLTqC2SO
"Hello."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAfDmkJL79
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXhBFFPNUS
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLp1OiFAzD
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS87S9CzaaQ
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX5ESv38Br
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9KWNeARJe
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5IR8QBgl8
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzijVYout3X
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIeY6DggCl
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Mqr9TTOQD
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHL2BnKtMn
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCNcdSj463
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmISRO7GJ0
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp05YjbXQCr
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56eJNuIAMe
Some nerve.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDWZfr6K1B
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v809w8wyq
Never mind.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgde3b6ZcuJ
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOHcAbqkIu
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6rJbaazd3
The door swings open.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflYTp37mhd
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreTLTqC2SO
"Hello."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAfDmkJL79
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcXhBFFPNUS
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLp1OiFAzD
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS87S9CzaaQ
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX5ESv38Br
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9KWNeARJe
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5IR8QBgl8
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzijVYout3X
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIeY6DggCl
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Mqr9TTOQD
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzHL2BnKtMn
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCNcdSj463
Huh. Funny dat.
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYWw1vfUlh
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Dz44GdJCs
4
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBvGvMhubv
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?769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEQBdKLSZM
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBvrxGpJt1
"Hey, Nick."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbInW6phuh
"Hey, Mike."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF1BgcNyWr
"What's good?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW29Qqdaoz1
"Not much," he says with a sigh.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZWjS0RhvL
"How come?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyoeUv3TZh
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXRYrZg3Ji
"Where?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeFmzm7w0r
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3O9PKkuD8
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObhntZRXXh
"Who's he?" I ask.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrQtWsgg4z
"Stanley," Wannabe says.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcMDax7Qex
"Oh."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuYIzywvEe
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D1GdKXAt1
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2Jd8yFPd6
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHYSGCCnqX
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kgVyRHB4a
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMNjpjmec8
"Mike."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5dy0zQGnq
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc9lL4TBWH
I keep my yap shut.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehCfKJ6okI
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2haI074cTr
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdf5Vpm3Ni
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMpJmqCrYk
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoN8NW1Z2F
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3EPg7Ptnq
"Like what? LSD?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw687NXPzvY
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5xhquRLAP
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxlFBWT47K
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6nbFIe8gi
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!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzZESoFjSD
Everything changes then.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NevREnKe4
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEBliUyKKP
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpnkTFcWxb
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaVELUS1OC
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek1QOTwsJB
No one listens. They laugh.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgra1ffdIJC
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!769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFX5HtmbDTZ
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1drrq3Hz6
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O7rba3Ou9
A pull.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKKx3pR3A9
Rip.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbM64C3JFU
RIP.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogjkPWm95R
I'm dead.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZanU8T93LR
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBvrxGpJt1
"Hey, Nick."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbInW6phuh
"Hey, Mike."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF1BgcNyWr
"What's good?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW29Qqdaoz1
"Not much," he says with a sigh.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZWjS0RhvL
"How come?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyoeUv3TZh
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXRYrZg3Ji
"Where?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeFmzm7w0r
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3O9PKkuD8
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObhntZRXXh
"Who's he?" I ask.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrQtWsgg4z
"Stanley," Wannabe says.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcMDax7Qex
"Oh."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuYIzywvEe
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D1GdKXAt1
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2Jd8yFPd6
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHYSGCCnqX
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kgVyRHB4a
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMNjpjmec8
"Mike."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5dy0zQGnq
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcc9lL4TBWH
I keep my yap shut.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehCfKJ6okI
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2haI074cTr
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvdf5Vpm3Ni
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMpJmqCrYk
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoN8NW1Z2F
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3EPg7Ptnq
"Like what? LSD?"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw687NXPzvY
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5xhquRLAP
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkxlFBWT47K
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6nbFIe8gi
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!"769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzZESoFjSD
Everything changes then.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NevREnKe4
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEBliUyKKP
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEpnkTFcWxb
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaVELUS1OC
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek1QOTwsJB
No one listens. They laugh.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgra1ffdIJC
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!769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFX5HtmbDTZ
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1drrq3Hz6
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.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3O7rba3Ou9
A pull.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKKx3pR3A9
Rip.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbM64C3JFU
RIP.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogjkPWm95R
I'm dead.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZanU8T93LR
In bed.
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VOlbvEQgP
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0IsH2C753Z
?
769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5mz5ONQwA
THE Rain Has Fallen.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3Nj37xRGW
No. That's not it.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb52Hv1VW1s
They Came After The Rain.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFhkdXTOYo
There it is.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVTqlZdzRq
That's the one.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRriKXJR78
The end.
ns216.73.216.239da2 No. That's not it.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb52Hv1VW1s
They Came After The Rain.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFhkdXTOYo
There it is.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVTqlZdzRq
That's the one.769Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkRriKXJR78
The end.
