710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CYg8Ib5kR
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710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SEw43aTMJ
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOa8tHjt11T
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9kRpsAGz8
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAo1YsIVw6
"Yeah."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7TtgnFvJI
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWC7PJA8sT
"Something you want to talk about?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflT5YbUODv
"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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHL0dAhTzd
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNZDQFKLvG
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3cj64LzHh
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMlYQYarCg
I consider the offer. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTI4W7cdZlw
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V8WTbUO7H
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9MlWxwSjN
"Good. Go to sleep."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xLcZBIjAs
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBCBi7DvAU
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEQSvoolWJ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjWkX65OFvDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF9kRpsAGz8
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAo1YsIVw6
"Yeah."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7TtgnFvJI
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWC7PJA8sT
"Something you want to talk about?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflT5YbUODv
"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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHL0dAhTzd
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNZDQFKLvG
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3cj64LzHh
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMlYQYarCg
I consider the offer. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTI4W7cdZlw
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7V8WTbUO7H
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9MlWxwSjN
"Good. Go to sleep."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1xLcZBIjAs
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBCBi7DvAU
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEQSvoolWJ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLRlgeiROm
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5owBOhlPf
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5owBOhlPf
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuEhdw5HMb
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RXZmAsVmk
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEqowWuT3j
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8G36GGbluo
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLgY6c9g4U
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYK1c9uh4e
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKgCu3AiOY
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKEU3HBALz
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqZbwaaUp1
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbuV87Jfdg
"Drugs," he says cryptically.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzM0tIdb8P
"Hmm?" I ask.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZ8fWrH3hp
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYHbFS3r9H
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2bOeOVAVe
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?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6Pv2h1p1j
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrWK3JVPzX
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNTZfpOdxC
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0T0DLrAur
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvza6DWkrFf
"So, how long are you?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBh0WI3E6aE
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2KZvDlnK2
"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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcguVnAhvd
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1RXZmAsVmk
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEqowWuT3j
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8G36GGbluo
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyLgY6c9g4U
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYK1c9uh4e
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKgCu3AiOY
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKEU3HBALz
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqZbwaaUp1
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbuV87Jfdg
"Drugs," he says cryptically.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzM0tIdb8P
"Hmm?" I ask.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZ8fWrH3hp
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYHbFS3r9H
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2bOeOVAVe
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?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6Pv2h1p1j
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrWK3JVPzX
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNTZfpOdxC
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0T0DLrAur
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvza6DWkrFf
"So, how long are you?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBh0WI3E6aE
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2KZvDlnK2
"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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbcguVnAhvd
Bitch.
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3710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ334cSXyRaC
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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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgtwgEfdjp
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr65cMF9vd
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx379qFEtqq
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiDGXdBwis
Some nerve.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HHio5UyAU
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71NfhRN8nV
Never mind.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2t8cLlfXPT
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSnr1oe6Wi
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdK2Lemu78
The door swings open.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSPpPSSJXV
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZV5vIvUtW7
"Hello."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3THvWco78
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ev4kyflYF
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmZPJMaarI
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyQAVEyGTp
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodO7Xz3bZw
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6xmPpDOSs
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBAiRTmSCN
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqTd4J3DiO
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1bW8FpMiq
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJAXC2Plsu
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDEgwWh8vO
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5EoOJmdKb
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr65cMF9vd
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx379qFEtqq
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiDGXdBwis
Some nerve.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HHio5UyAU
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71NfhRN8nV
Never mind.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2t8cLlfXPT
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSnr1oe6Wi
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdK2Lemu78
The door swings open.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSPpPSSJXV
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZV5vIvUtW7
"Hello."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3THvWco78
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ev4kyflYF
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmZPJMaarI
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyQAVEyGTp
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodO7Xz3bZw
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6xmPpDOSs
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBAiRTmSCN
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqTd4J3DiO
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1bW8FpMiq
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJAXC2Plsu
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDEgwWh8vO
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5EoOJmdKb
Huh. Funny dat.
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH3YouMUZcN
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVO7kxnDrgv
4
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNSvq1B47n
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?710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Sgxix4sPZ
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4BWX75yES
"Hey, Nick."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UxvcXoOEn
"Hey, Mike."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXHpE64d8v
"What's good?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhy979DqHA
"Not much," he says with a sigh.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjk7kcDRHd
"How come?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEU4BGzgbr
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNaByqDNva
"Where?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatv5Y4aQua
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X8DKri5DJ
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsfp5La1RV
"Who's he?" I ask.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaUt0S3f3u
"Stanley," Wannabe says.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKP8v4ZL5wU
"Oh."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8if6CRvDIY
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHTOijRs3p
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszUZWqj44D
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxoQE2HckT
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXuRvNh0ee
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi3VNTJ8GW
"Mike."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAkWIi2EV3
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6dHVNAcGb
I keep my yap shut.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwwDOXapEh
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ855C9ujdo4
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKTF9InDV7
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3AU1Tv1b9
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhtqQmVQbp
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6VCSN1rLQ
"Like what? LSD?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4FdU1yqca
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7Xj6t15ot
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlFYRoHyao
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rlrWnth6U
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!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtWCPJJQHn
Everything changes then.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxOrct6NW7
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYug9lSgRZ6
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ183pltioFs
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDz168mona
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHCfLZdaPB
No one listens. They laugh.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGra8qY0ma
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!710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcK699KrJDb
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77RFBcXuFj
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2gfBMWOEP
A pull.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnJIQd0e5s
Rip.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjvGSyEE0k
RIP.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOM7uCXCyN
I'm dead.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhMEPiq2GL
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc4BWX75yES
"Hey, Nick."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UxvcXoOEn
"Hey, Mike."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyXHpE64d8v
"What's good?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhy979DqHA
"Not much," he says with a sigh.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbjk7kcDRHd
"How come?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEU4BGzgbr
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNaByqDNva
"Where?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatv5Y4aQua
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X8DKri5DJ
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsfp5La1RV
"Who's he?" I ask.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaUt0S3f3u
"Stanley," Wannabe says.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKP8v4ZL5wU
"Oh."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8if6CRvDIY
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHTOijRs3p
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszUZWqj44D
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxoQE2HckT
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXuRvNh0ee
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIi3VNTJ8GW
"Mike."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAkWIi2EV3
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6dHVNAcGb
I keep my yap shut.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwwDOXapEh
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ855C9ujdo4
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKTF9InDV7
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3AU1Tv1b9
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhtqQmVQbp
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6VCSN1rLQ
"Like what? LSD?"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4FdU1yqca
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7Xj6t15ot
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlFYRoHyao
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rlrWnth6U
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!"710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjtWCPJJQHn
Everything changes then.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfxOrct6NW7
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYug9lSgRZ6
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ183pltioFs
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxDz168mona
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHCfLZdaPB
No one listens. They laugh.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGra8qY0ma
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!710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcK699KrJDb
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ77RFBcXuFj
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.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2gfBMWOEP
A pull.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnJIQd0e5s
Rip.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjvGSyEE0k
RIP.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOM7uCXCyN
I'm dead.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhMEPiq2GL
In bed.
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqbGz4BBGa
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kBuhdl8ed
?
710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdrc00ze5T
THE Rain Has Fallen.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKszT7lc7o9
No. That's not it.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtRrKEm8wI
They Came After The Rain.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncqrIqtcM5
There it is.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyjP7Avf6a
That's the one.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mffWxIw6x
The end.
ns18.217.208.209da2 No. That's not it.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtRrKEm8wI
They Came After The Rain.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncqrIqtcM5
There it is.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyjP7Avf6a
That's the one.710Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mffWxIw6x
The end.
