711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdGSB8RufUf
-
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uCn4f7Pjz
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaifeJEqrR0
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgONB34koY
1711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9fExom1ky
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8P0mtzOAC
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8P0mtzOAC
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqJYqzUUPU
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡId1olAKwD9
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eSzhqVDFd
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN4zyOfIQt
"Yeah."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwVcFHEjXp
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPx463eecYN
"Something you want to talk about?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMATz414u7
"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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBE9Rca6tvx
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFchuYy9La
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvOytxYWPU
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmbsTwdJYJ
I consider the offer. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiAPPCWxkB
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7hqKp4vZH
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq5rfq2CKN
"Good. Go to sleep."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJdwIXYDjU
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv4t13J4cm
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuaeeduL2D
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZ6uKDCUdMDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eSzhqVDFd
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN4zyOfIQt
"Yeah."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwVcFHEjXp
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPx463eecYN
"Something you want to talk about?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMATz414u7
"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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBE9Rca6tvx
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFchuYy9La
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvOytxYWPU
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmbsTwdJYJ
I consider the offer. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiAPPCWxkB
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7hqKp4vZH
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq5rfq2CKN
"Good. Go to sleep."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJdwIXYDjU
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv4t13J4cm
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuaeeduL2D
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzf5UUJVcy
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX0c0YMyG8
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTX0c0YMyG8
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS8OaxXGnCN
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakpjox2Fpw
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmA4jks9yj7
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bXwP3iM8f
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2R0Ju43oqR
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDaxAS143g
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJq7CCN515N
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VLmq6KIIm
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5B51lVsEU
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ6kouNFOY
"Drugs," he says cryptically.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpLamxkkOT
"Hmm?" I ask.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWtDn7dPFV
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRVWKi38ZX
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxt9RZ8bCt
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?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1z0k9Uip5
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jzh6CDXsn
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupmq7IRI5Q
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxIo5C7IAk
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk8pcrjEMd
"So, how long are you?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6vIPb1QE5
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5qrRvNCRH
"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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtHsdwst3r
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakpjox2Fpw
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmA4jks9yj7
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bXwP3iM8f
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2R0Ju43oqR
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDaxAS143g
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJq7CCN515N
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VLmq6KIIm
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5B51lVsEU
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ6kouNFOY
"Drugs," he says cryptically.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpLamxkkOT
"Hmm?" I ask.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWtDn7dPFV
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRVWKi38ZX
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxt9RZ8bCt
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?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1z0k9Uip5
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jzh6CDXsn
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupmq7IRI5Q
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxIo5C7IAk
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk8pcrjEMd
"So, how long are you?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp6vIPb1QE5
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5qrRvNCRH
"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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtHsdwst3r
Bitch.
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvY2NXQu2LS
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3exoSj70M
3711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gSDFdWzIw
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKL7hBuGMs
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKL7hBuGMs
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn4kMpiwRch
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nmSYTihLu
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0zgL6tJVD
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjZgv5fprC
Some nerve.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2koVqOs3Cn
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioUzRC4P4D
Never mind.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf7rAgQ7yy
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuBuJ7cdMv
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPf6LR1p11
The door swings open.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1Yge5iv7w
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWL7HrdgCg
"Hello."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiKf7NZ9F4
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiGQJp8Bzv
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yR6tlx9hH
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmGdE3ufYy
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnPIAIfTYK
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRlzxxiRIE
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqFPrIuhDC
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a4JmsLu55
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJVyJOcEYw
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FCrs6DGZP
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdJ5Laa0zX
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisWi9qULuH
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nmSYTihLu
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0zgL6tJVD
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjZgv5fprC
Some nerve.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2koVqOs3Cn
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioUzRC4P4D
Never mind.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdf7rAgQ7yy
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTuBuJ7cdMv
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPf6LR1p11
The door swings open.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1Yge5iv7w
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWWL7HrdgCg
"Hello."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiKf7NZ9F4
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiGQJp8Bzv
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yR6tlx9hH
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmGdE3ufYy
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnPIAIfTYK
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRlzxxiRIE
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqFPrIuhDC
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a4JmsLu55
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJVyJOcEYw
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FCrs6DGZP
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdJ5Laa0zX
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisWi9qULuH
Huh. Funny dat.
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzlI9emtqh
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dMNYMehkU
4
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1ukhQETRU
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?711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LDJH2F0sg
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2syhLJ6K1
"Hey, Nick."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRrRxSOz7f
"Hey, Mike."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpxIMw1h2L
"What's good?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgr9l4A8Saz
"Not much," he says with a sigh.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLIkb0Zuuj
"How come?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxvKVwvWvB
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotS6Gndndn
"Where?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eEakQLBeo
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAq8EgqPrX
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMCZpKX7Mo
"Who's he?" I ask.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlcl0uwTzh
"Stanley," Wannabe says.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRidZAob4eP
"Oh."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC2pz6fQSB
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QKN6hAyTB
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16GWuFZkyF
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl69lrxOvav
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9IlOKmEm2
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50HmcGLUG4
"Mike."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMCUIv9AAT
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfXfLVkljr
I keep my yap shut.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9L4isWpIs
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnOZ6CHzZe
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhuQgR7Urz
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjZowhIPha
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNK4ZBn1d3y
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3w3AOgYpP
"Like what? LSD?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoox9nNkjJ
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQzCWlNsnE
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFikH0HhDB
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09NbZqVpFW
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!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlaPqBWIMy
Everything changes then.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRJwMhZlyO
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO2Qevk1rO
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLRrzi18jr
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyuRF0VtBs
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ996ISdVbOm
No one listens. They laugh.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhegiAEa6h3
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!711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgipfmDHAZ
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaKigmnK75
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRR7Z2vrAx
A pull.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztI56SF3Mp
Rip.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEosZXwRD8A
RIP.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qQ7f1GTQz
I'm dead.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcCibnAuIv
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2syhLJ6K1
"Hey, Nick."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRrRxSOz7f
"Hey, Mike."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpxIMw1h2L
"What's good?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgr9l4A8Saz
"Not much," he says with a sigh.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLIkb0Zuuj
"How come?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxvKVwvWvB
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotS6Gndndn
"Where?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eEakQLBeo
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAq8EgqPrX
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMCZpKX7Mo
"Who's he?" I ask.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlcl0uwTzh
"Stanley," Wannabe says.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRidZAob4eP
"Oh."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC2pz6fQSB
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0QKN6hAyTB
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16GWuFZkyF
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl69lrxOvav
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9IlOKmEm2
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50HmcGLUG4
"Mike."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMCUIv9AAT
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfXfLVkljr
I keep my yap shut.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9L4isWpIs
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnOZ6CHzZe
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhuQgR7Urz
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjZowhIPha
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNK4ZBn1d3y
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3w3AOgYpP
"Like what? LSD?"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoox9nNkjJ
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGQzCWlNsnE
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFikH0HhDB
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ09NbZqVpFW
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!"711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlaPqBWIMy
Everything changes then.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsRJwMhZlyO
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaO2Qevk1rO
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLRrzi18jr
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyuRF0VtBs
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ996ISdVbOm
No one listens. They laugh.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhegiAEa6h3
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!711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgipfmDHAZ
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaKigmnK75
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.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRR7Z2vrAx
A pull.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztI56SF3Mp
Rip.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEosZXwRD8A
RIP.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qQ7f1GTQz
I'm dead.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcCibnAuIv
In bed.
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4J9WKc0wG
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PdRluHbPW
?
711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfendvTfpho
THE Rain Has Fallen.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3RsHqxELYI
No. That's not it.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRkguCdOtY
They Came After The Rain.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsgKZh2kG1
There it is.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmLUcWazLR
That's the one.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLSQpZ00rg
The end.
ns3.22.77.196da2 No. That's not it.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRkguCdOtY
They Came After The Rain.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsgKZh2kG1
There it is.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmLUcWazLR
That's the one.711Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLSQpZ00rg
The end.
