775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93N6yOmril
-
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡve3S96BH3T
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV2t5Eg4Rzx
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpU90fpsO5D
1775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj87cOweCo
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0AYRyKtbh
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0AYRyKtbh
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnNqFC1dMF
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH71Ap7PwGb
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2z54aTnYj
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrNEduD2hE
"Yeah."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0cTwzaZ4b
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbjil1V7XM
"Something you want to talk about?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7lRZKvTcy
"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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlh3YPiIqu
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDC0aQa6TFz
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlgBd4FqhA
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HRPHLIBLC
I consider the offer. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fh9xnEGL5
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxsIGtZcII
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBp1a54V72M
"Good. Go to sleep."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZr33iGXPq
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcXkZ3Znit
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4Im6Z384Q
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAYYkuEXLUDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2z54aTnYj
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrNEduD2hE
"Yeah."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0cTwzaZ4b
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWbjil1V7XM
"Something you want to talk about?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7lRZKvTcy
"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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlh3YPiIqu
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDC0aQa6TFz
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlgBd4FqhA
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HRPHLIBLC
I consider the offer. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fh9xnEGL5
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxsIGtZcII
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBp1a54V72M
"Good. Go to sleep."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhZr33iGXPq
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcXkZ3Znit
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4Im6Z384Q
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGQu0tGyQt
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBuJtxl1Nc
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBuJtxl1Nc
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaKpBFvV8a
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyZOvz8AZK
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0dH7qfUWa
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoGycrJdxl
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdMPXsxtn6
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jkp9vDRTq
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5reeMQmdd
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmGyfdzrVd
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJOcnyFCIL
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVQyiojmdP
"Drugs," he says cryptically.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFEXjuLVHz
"Hmm?" I ask.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicO1qASNxO
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4Skl58Wuj
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4h8ha5XH1
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?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshrVtk7p8x
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHC7VoaNqR
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3EFgEEupZ
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVveN2z4Dck
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Xw0pDQfOR
"So, how long are you?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Wptrdpw0q
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi8MNYEj09
"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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SH4hHkjBj
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyZOvz8AZK
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0dH7qfUWa
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzoGycrJdxl
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdMPXsxtn6
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5jkp9vDRTq
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5reeMQmdd
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmGyfdzrVd
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJOcnyFCIL
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVQyiojmdP
"Drugs," he says cryptically.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFEXjuLVHz
"Hmm?" I ask.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicO1qASNxO
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy4Skl58Wuj
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4h8ha5XH1
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?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshrVtk7p8x
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHC7VoaNqR
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3EFgEEupZ
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVveN2z4Dck
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Xw0pDQfOR
"So, how long are you?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Wptrdpw0q
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi8MNYEj09
"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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SH4hHkjBj
Bitch.
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz4brtocsY
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UNF6CvOSr
3775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1vQRD3bYRw
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScAzXYhFdX
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScAzXYhFdX
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncd9KZ8mE9
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaApWEtKao3
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4xHfi8Y5b
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbjBvb2HaI
Some nerve.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqKOKVAvjm
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDXBLA3yb5
Never mind.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbBiw5loU6
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbh2x6oOgCJ
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUMc85nFiU
The door swings open.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M4kwpp1IS
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrVUkCnJYq
"Hello."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6xNbjxVoV
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5NqVt7f13
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJtkyKyUTt
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5cGWXthjU
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SXIVeAP1t
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XomZRVYGb
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGhGfY03RI
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfXq2Now5r
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBmF2nqgc1
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGd3FBfS4im
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuFYrE943L
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8oCZxn5vn
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaApWEtKao3
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4xHfi8Y5b
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQbjBvb2HaI
Some nerve.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqKOKVAvjm
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDXBLA3yb5
Never mind.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbBiw5loU6
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbh2x6oOgCJ
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUMc85nFiU
The door swings open.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M4kwpp1IS
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrVUkCnJYq
"Hello."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6xNbjxVoV
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5NqVt7f13
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJtkyKyUTt
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5cGWXthjU
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SXIVeAP1t
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XomZRVYGb
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGhGfY03RI
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfXq2Now5r
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBmF2nqgc1
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGd3FBfS4im
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQuFYrE943L
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8oCZxn5vn
Huh. Funny dat.
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9k3WJReDm
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItSbX0o3Fs
4
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgR29L34qhn
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?775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtIYF5AQaD
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpp2Ie0kkw
"Hey, Nick."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjOEDsfclh
"Hey, Mike."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2IORt8ceC
"What's good?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ygAXAzT4C
"Not much," he says with a sigh.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FE6gaPxyF
"How come?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAXub4n4J5
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiORJGVHaZ
"Where?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV3cqEWsYC
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJwcM3Sj8N
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3WrcyJG9i
"Who's he?" I ask.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1VNLQUFVO
"Stanley," Wannabe says.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XWknBj0JV
"Oh."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvZnZ4KEsO
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgguvPlfCr6
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQXMsZLBoQ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxvOj1iuTP
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2hIH1gld7
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HzoXa7EsD
"Mike."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPdH7zuyW6
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vqccpztsx
I keep my yap shut.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnocgAoD8Wj
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHlVwa59zD
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVc4v7B02o
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBH4Vrh5kS
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2LSHUNRoa
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6POR9pQhSv
"Like what? LSD?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDybWo9BZH8
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlRJVPcyyu
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XBwcB8I78
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiLW8hadqk
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!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDAHvQtsvV
Everything changes then.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6a9srj8nI
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFRPVsjpPO
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCtto3kHfz
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJqmAMZBmp
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUkQQnXtcY
No one listens. They laugh.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQH0BOvNIH3
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!775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEGIKTfjeR
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdKykQ0LYo
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DCVXoAqJV
A pull.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapyZGVJEPQ
Rip.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCehfHkLVv
RIP.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb9u6qgupw
I'm dead.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xrR1CBQtq
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpp2Ie0kkw
"Hey, Nick."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjOEDsfclh
"Hey, Mike."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2IORt8ceC
"What's good?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ygAXAzT4C
"Not much," he says with a sigh.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6FE6gaPxyF
"How come?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlAXub4n4J5
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiORJGVHaZ
"Where?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV3cqEWsYC
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJwcM3Sj8N
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3WrcyJG9i
"Who's he?" I ask.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1VNLQUFVO
"Stanley," Wannabe says.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XWknBj0JV
"Oh."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvZnZ4KEsO
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgguvPlfCr6
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQXMsZLBoQ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxvOj1iuTP
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM2hIH1gld7
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HzoXa7EsD
"Mike."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPdH7zuyW6
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vqccpztsx
I keep my yap shut.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnocgAoD8Wj
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHlVwa59zD
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVc4v7B02o
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBH4Vrh5kS
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2LSHUNRoa
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6POR9pQhSv
"Like what? LSD?"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDybWo9BZH8
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlRJVPcyyu
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XBwcB8I78
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiLW8hadqk
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!"775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDAHvQtsvV
Everything changes then.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF6a9srj8nI
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFRPVsjpPO
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCtto3kHfz
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJqmAMZBmp
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUkQQnXtcY
No one listens. They laugh.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQH0BOvNIH3
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!775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEGIKTfjeR
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdKykQ0LYo
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.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DCVXoAqJV
A pull.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapyZGVJEPQ
Rip.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCehfHkLVv
RIP.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb9u6qgupw
I'm dead.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xrR1CBQtq
In bed.
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvnuKlB1gdm
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCM4zVRnTto
?
775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93PwkPr0b6
THE Rain Has Fallen.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF3oRZ7xKH
No. That's not it.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuEDg5oUtg
They Came After The Rain.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsJOKu9unN
There it is.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1LMwbWnBW
That's the one.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf05h5OXdIU
The end.
ns216.73.216.176da2 No. That's not it.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuEDg5oUtg
They Came After The Rain.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsJOKu9unN
There it is.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1LMwbWnBW
That's the one.775Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf05h5OXdIU
The end.
