796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhESzgaC1RD
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796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHRB9BFFj2
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbD8CP2JIy6
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7iVsA2rjlX
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvqfAmR7zHB
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEg1AcYUOu
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5a0pzyUxS
"Yeah."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWUrj55xQh
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBr4bLXJdy
"Something you want to talk about?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYd05TqOGz8
"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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cyuINOwnd
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRAXhtkEpR
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡth12fNVl5h
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhv0bOEBlR
I consider the offer. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzoy7W6eqi
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46xijIqI2X
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MKjHxLOF8
"Good. Go to sleep."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHQmkMsxrn
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytxP2KaYiP
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3CibmeawJ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJKfLRhl0eDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiEg1AcYUOu
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5a0pzyUxS
"Yeah."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWUrj55xQh
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBr4bLXJdy
"Something you want to talk about?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYd05TqOGz8
"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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cyuINOwnd
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRAXhtkEpR
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡth12fNVl5h
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhv0bOEBlR
I consider the offer. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzoy7W6eqi
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46xijIqI2X
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MKjHxLOF8
"Good. Go to sleep."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHQmkMsxrn
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytxP2KaYiP
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3CibmeawJ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEihWMcBrsJ
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRAXUazK6K
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRAXUazK6K
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4qcT86w4D
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2elYAJVyoL
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfRKfj6uAS
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUZ9PGuXr6
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVPn596s7v
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcXYUprxzj
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMjHaX3zrz
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdbI0Z4WuV
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3IwGLD4VQ
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtYQT0D9tD
"Drugs," he says cryptically.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1npqkwCKzF
"Hmm?" I ask.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HJkGd2pyF
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡka5LieLdd3
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpb2Ra6LwO3
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?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdYqUfjFx1
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5WrZ86RWr
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C6gAtIite
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHQXYdDaXB
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9Shy8kUyL
"So, how long are you?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPQGomTlQX
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuv3OBNDb0v
"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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWGPe8rgWz
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2elYAJVyoL
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfRKfj6uAS
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhUZ9PGuXr6
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVPn596s7v
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcXYUprxzj
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMjHaX3zrz
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdbI0Z4WuV
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3IwGLD4VQ
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtYQT0D9tD
"Drugs," he says cryptically.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1npqkwCKzF
"Hmm?" I ask.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HJkGd2pyF
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡka5LieLdd3
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpb2Ra6LwO3
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?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdYqUfjFx1
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5WrZ86RWr
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C6gAtIite
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHQXYdDaXB
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9Shy8kUyL
"So, how long are you?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPQGomTlQX
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuv3OBNDb0v
"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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWGPe8rgWz
Bitch.
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoditYrHyZJ
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGZCW29LuV
3796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1ASoBojou
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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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXNZ2Q1MeT
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJGLbrSeA4
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDyrvlvtH3
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ24w3Fr2Vb
Some nerve.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzbY3LpyeH
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp2R9SU3B4
Never mind.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i2hKxPU9M
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxAlTJu0H6
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbzO1fDvPA
The door swings open.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iSwbPUnYs
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1Ey1qJtWh
"Hello."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13kaJ8fc9O
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjv0kroa59G
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoDF2LHbAD
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfT9KI0s3q
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMEltM5hxr
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqgcD6TioH
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9mSN1DSWC
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQcbRukQQt
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzNS6VFfOt
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ2h6QglEy
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNGRaiDXES
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJW5MM3ryi
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJGLbrSeA4
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDyrvlvtH3
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ24w3Fr2Vb
Some nerve.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzbY3LpyeH
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnp2R9SU3B4
Never mind.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i2hKxPU9M
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxAlTJu0H6
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbzO1fDvPA
The door swings open.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6iSwbPUnYs
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1Ey1qJtWh
"Hello."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13kaJ8fc9O
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjv0kroa59G
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoDF2LHbAD
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfT9KI0s3q
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMEltM5hxr
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqgcD6TioH
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9mSN1DSWC
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQcbRukQQt
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzNS6VFfOt
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ2h6QglEy
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNGRaiDXES
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJW5MM3ryi
Huh. Funny dat.
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2Qj2bSXhR
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiYFrm4DiK
4
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfA1h9fdR1
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?796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPktMlAnwKU
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtCwkQLUmp
"Hey, Nick."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIQfQCtrKl
"Hey, Mike."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TMXq48DMR
"What's good?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZxyIXv4uD
"Not much," he says with a sigh.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHF9oi8wkm
"How come?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnHrHwvewt
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WjQOs2VNB
"Where?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaFpG3N2B7
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q5VliN2P0
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcU0Dbv6ou
"Who's he?" I ask.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwypxbLiExP
"Stanley," Wannabe says.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpLX5VInMQ
"Oh."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhjAeDugDv
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EwxROd4pu
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28pREgw7eA
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdnA8fE0d5
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgljq7JWZk
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNZ7roceIj
"Mike."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22in8j4czq
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArT0qTzgu1
I keep my yap shut.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIoe6VhsGy
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TXQxRsoEZ
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTqr33X4k5
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ382m2YJMlL
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4Iq5xmKwG
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETVUmxcwJQ
"Like what? LSD?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CJVgAzxJD
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClKPWz9mnB
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMhjMyYh0g
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHMdBkXY8J
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!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnZmucxCeG
Everything changes then.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkk8ttPAZr
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vzTYSEIgq
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cI5gDywHT
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckd0LxHPQn
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXA5iWpJb0
No one listens. They laugh.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8RyuyNhcS
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!796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAJMWSXlqA
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6NlkrMZ9K
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ToBeq3Apu
A pull.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrotiQbe4V
Rip.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDKZ2DPlfZ
RIP.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwsmTKWgUJ
I'm dead.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOSCmncxtg
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOtCwkQLUmp
"Hey, Nick."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIQfQCtrKl
"Hey, Mike."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TMXq48DMR
"What's good?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZxyIXv4uD
"Not much," he says with a sigh.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHF9oi8wkm
"How come?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnHrHwvewt
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8WjQOs2VNB
"Where?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlaFpG3N2B7
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Q5VliN2P0
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcU0Dbv6ou
"Who's he?" I ask.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwypxbLiExP
"Stanley," Wannabe says.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpLX5VInMQ
"Oh."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhjAeDugDv
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EwxROd4pu
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28pREgw7eA
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdnA8fE0d5
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgljq7JWZk
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNZ7roceIj
"Mike."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22in8j4czq
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArT0qTzgu1
I keep my yap shut.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIoe6VhsGy
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TXQxRsoEZ
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTqr33X4k5
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ382m2YJMlL
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4Iq5xmKwG
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETVUmxcwJQ
"Like what? LSD?"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CJVgAzxJD
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClKPWz9mnB
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMhjMyYh0g
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPHMdBkXY8J
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!"796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnZmucxCeG
Everything changes then.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkk8ttPAZr
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vzTYSEIgq
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cI5gDywHT
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckd0LxHPQn
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXA5iWpJb0
No one listens. They laugh.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8RyuyNhcS
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!796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAJMWSXlqA
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6NlkrMZ9K
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.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ToBeq3Apu
A pull.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrotiQbe4V
Rip.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDKZ2DPlfZ
RIP.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwsmTKWgUJ
I'm dead.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOSCmncxtg
In bed.
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5afwoJD8fi
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyl67veG7LN
?
796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdA0EEE543C
THE Rain Has Fallen.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPbWwBM4Ky
No. That's not it.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3weCBEBUYv
They Came After The Rain.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyAVao31LZ
There it is.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiFXRmkipg
That's the one.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EN9VAmvos
The end.
ns216.73.216.209da2 No. That's not it.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3weCBEBUYv
They Came After The Rain.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyAVao31LZ
There it is.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiFXRmkipg
That's the one.796Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EN9VAmvos
The end.
