685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdMF4NYtUZ
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685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjK4lge241
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKCW6FHYZy
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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. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxOJ4nLenT
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngMj8jkg9A
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznoZJNprrD
"Yeah."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuILfN19sH
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tnac7G2QX
"Something you want to talk about?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBM1V74Uz2
"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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKzneJb5qX
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXC5NTr5L5
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusrIOSpUfb
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kC9yti5BQ
I consider the offer. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEh9EIYIgR
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZYkwhECSr
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOHBfuRyhI
"Good. Go to sleep."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bOu8cXKqI
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjzxNrKDsl
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOkO4wAvtm
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4iV08BFbpDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngMj8jkg9A
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznoZJNprrD
"Yeah."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuILfN19sH
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tnac7G2QX
"Something you want to talk about?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBM1V74Uz2
"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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKzneJb5qX
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXC5NTr5L5
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡusrIOSpUfb
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kC9yti5BQ
I consider the offer. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEh9EIYIgR
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZYkwhECSr
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOHBfuRyhI
"Good. Go to sleep."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bOu8cXKqI
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjzxNrKDsl
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiOkO4wAvtm
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuClBgULds
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMflb7R7yyM
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMflb7R7yyM
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CEJycBjQ6
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsi7uJovUw
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNecfbN3zbt
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBY3MFyTRr
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZPSEhjdDr
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfSu2sXrJN
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhyzKTxlFx
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFEiyjy8vm
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UgiV5qVZV
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcr3HJMV84E
"Drugs," he says cryptically.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUWfmqdnTY
"Hmm?" I ask.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3lvShwieY
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfBnLgYxYM
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pyF8tFVVH
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?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wtNk4vVMM
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGoTcrc3Rs
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBCH4a52m5
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9jMJ7iYAh
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZm34VVedqn
"So, how long are you?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YUvo8msSb
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVduNq9ZaAK
"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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUtwTq4pFV
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsi7uJovUw
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNecfbN3zbt
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBY3MFyTRr
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZPSEhjdDr
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfSu2sXrJN
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhyzKTxlFx
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFEiyjy8vm
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UgiV5qVZV
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcr3HJMV84E
"Drugs," he says cryptically.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVUWfmqdnTY
"Hmm?" I ask.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3lvShwieY
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfBnLgYxYM
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pyF8tFVVH
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?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wtNk4vVMM
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGoTcrc3Rs
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBCH4a52m5
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9jMJ7iYAh
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZm34VVedqn
"So, how long are you?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YUvo8msSb
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVduNq9ZaAK
"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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUtwTq4pFV
Bitch.
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEHzWqU9cx
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2tXv3TEtD
3685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLn1I4qOMLG
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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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOc3UdWjU3
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8lDtaTp7v
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pEZmvwk4g
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaVVElQIc7
Some nerve.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtDyiMsWwr
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbnk69wNFb
Never mind.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOF2DLidLD
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNolXPjuOg
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjPh0x6lpM
The door swings open.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcxNV6T2XX
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRssutpobx6
"Hello."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GAnXXRAga
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibyG6qT2Qf
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tImpNFBi4
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSx6YNAzCvs
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhaTEvIJJN
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOkpSKxtqo
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gaPGknXdf
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RQewbELJu
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHwJdnUNVO
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzjSQJm1qu
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsJymXaMNr
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhIbgRMkHr
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8lDtaTp7v
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pEZmvwk4g
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaVVElQIc7
Some nerve.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtDyiMsWwr
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbnk69wNFb
Never mind.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOF2DLidLD
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNolXPjuOg
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjPh0x6lpM
The door swings open.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcxNV6T2XX
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRssutpobx6
"Hello."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GAnXXRAga
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibyG6qT2Qf
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tImpNFBi4
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSx6YNAzCvs
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhaTEvIJJN
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOkpSKxtqo
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gaPGknXdf
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RQewbELJu
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHwJdnUNVO
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuzjSQJm1qu
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsJymXaMNr
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhIbgRMkHr
Huh. Funny dat.
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWXInGe88F
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUz8kyMmJzW
4
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBdfoC3Qh7
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?685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRT0HGxHxI
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4t4B0gXnx
"Hey, Nick."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx68uBL4rhi
"Hey, Mike."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhriwE5DgFm
"What's good?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjEL8QHehF
"Not much," he says with a sigh.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj0R3X5Olt
"How come?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYASDIupSF6
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWOoIGAvtc
"Where?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8CMUM0tgs
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MnovBgNXo
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5CiCoujJz
"Who's he?" I ask.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRohcJpt2yw
"Stanley," Wannabe says.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7K1L78bOM
"Oh."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBAh5tIuFA
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11anBK9dUv
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF32epGSp9
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRCfUtSGLZ
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuejJSZxBvJ
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPoaJ3HrNm
"Mike."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZ3uDVoNx9
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FlZX51ffk
I keep my yap shut.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r7sHbkaIX
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SbXuxpMa6
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNre7RA10hK
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR6fhiksqs
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33kIAqD5l4
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobMuOlw65r
"Like what? LSD?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBCSsa33dG
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4IvTMf6hX
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx0gyoRhhz
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL5u1fAGne
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!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJh0GDDc4BB
Everything changes then.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey7uMTeq2L
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWKZ0DXS6T
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4LuZ0RVVo
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP0RdAWZyV
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFABvxpMAC
No one listens. They laugh.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwpvWEO4Wx
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!685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4l6PQDLvl6
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14KNE3xacQ
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cJvIXV773
A pull.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1d1snCmJM
Rip.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4IoKyJlX4
RIP.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpRAaSpRTc
I'm dead.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjqUyZJpjd
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4t4B0gXnx
"Hey, Nick."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx68uBL4rhi
"Hey, Mike."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhriwE5DgFm
"What's good?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSjEL8QHehF
"Not much," he says with a sigh.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbj0R3X5Olt
"How come?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYASDIupSF6
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWOoIGAvtc
"Where?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8CMUM0tgs
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1MnovBgNXo
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5CiCoujJz
"Who's he?" I ask.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRohcJpt2yw
"Stanley," Wannabe says.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7K1L78bOM
"Oh."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBAh5tIuFA
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11anBK9dUv
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjF32epGSp9
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRCfUtSGLZ
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuejJSZxBvJ
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPoaJ3HrNm
"Mike."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZ3uDVoNx9
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FlZX51ffk
I keep my yap shut.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6r7sHbkaIX
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SbXuxpMa6
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNre7RA10hK
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR6fhiksqs
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33kIAqD5l4
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobMuOlw65r
"Like what? LSD?"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBCSsa33dG
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4IvTMf6hX
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx0gyoRhhz
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYL5u1fAGne
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!"685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJh0GDDc4BB
Everything changes then.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey7uMTeq2L
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNWKZ0DXS6T
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4LuZ0RVVo
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxP0RdAWZyV
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSFABvxpMAC
No one listens. They laugh.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwpvWEO4Wx
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!685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4l6PQDLvl6
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14KNE3xacQ
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.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cJvIXV773
A pull.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1d1snCmJM
Rip.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4IoKyJlX4
RIP.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmpRAaSpRTc
I'm dead.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjqUyZJpjd
In bed.
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrirXwoOQwZ
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWRh6OBOiz
?
685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0ISBy56VD
THE Rain Has Fallen.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspWccMOJbf
No. That's not it.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l1LlvTrX9
They Came After The Rain.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrm6xzUHshq
There it is.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy00kWl8hP
That's the one.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gjZjpYScT
The end.
ns 15.158.61.11da2 No. That's not it.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l1LlvTrX9
They Came After The Rain.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrm6xzUHshq
There it is.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy00kWl8hP
That's the one.685Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gjZjpYScT
The end.
