810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVXe2lCudce
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810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wfORqDkwA
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCydUvUUdi1
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCydUvUUdi1
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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. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6QKtXoISm
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHczSnOPhq
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcbMvgSVIG
"Yeah."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3pzEa5i9q
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQXVj03N8r
"Something you want to talk about?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5798qLwvEP
"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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6YLlexP4y
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgRtPpUd9d
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezp6w5ylVk
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ILeEXXtqe
I consider the offer. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMBqNcPo3C
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HSXGmhNAn
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1AXA4lOD0
"Good. Go to sleep."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9It7h0lF0
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7UbEgBQHa
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vhY7uHdFw
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtPonU0KNHDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHczSnOPhq
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcbMvgSVIG
"Yeah."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3pzEa5i9q
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQXVj03N8r
"Something you want to talk about?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5798qLwvEP
"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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6YLlexP4y
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgRtPpUd9d
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezp6w5ylVk
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ILeEXXtqe
I consider the offer. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhMBqNcPo3C
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6HSXGmhNAn
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1AXA4lOD0
"Good. Go to sleep."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9It7h0lF0
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7UbEgBQHa
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vhY7uHdFw
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgw28d6JRd4
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtmJ4n7dFx
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtmJ4n7dFx
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjFw5CP3CF
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9B0Mxb2u52
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpS0FirSntt
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLRrCqMEb9
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEKPnOfcbU
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRemBVz532P
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7kiY0jrIG
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIXrhf9wuH
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFQ4QkGcWx
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0r7hmmKArn
"Drugs," he says cryptically.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0ZtKkpZ5y
"Hmm?" I ask.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfFxqife99
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTdqyPzEDA
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkzaVxZDLB
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?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJEaq93juB
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19eD2ucbAm
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYK2H2hdQd
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSxdwh30Wb
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiN7Ij7D1b
"So, how long are you?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUWjYvtwze
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AKDmTZZOO
"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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk17s00Hcls
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9B0Mxb2u52
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpS0FirSntt
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLRrCqMEb9
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEKPnOfcbU
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRemBVz532P
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt7kiY0jrIG
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIXrhf9wuH
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFQ4QkGcWx
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0r7hmmKArn
"Drugs," he says cryptically.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0ZtKkpZ5y
"Hmm?" I ask.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfFxqife99
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTdqyPzEDA
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkzaVxZDLB
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?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJEaq93juB
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19eD2ucbAm
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYK2H2hdQd
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSxdwh30Wb
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiN7Ij7D1b
"So, how long are you?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUWjYvtwze
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0AKDmTZZOO
"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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk17s00Hcls
Bitch.
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3810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwguQpccgTr
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810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMCZ7rAKsT
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qh0GG2h4K
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wjdItSFcU
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7i5AoRXJTz
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDBRYJ6AGB
Some nerve.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwwxxILfCl
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XKoz9cCEF
Never mind.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeK0v7MRSc
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjAM4zTXl1
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCalQLk03rD
The door swings open.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsbnsOgAQM
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ1ccdUijm
"Hello."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡex3TTOIQQg
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoIgoxVeSx
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsauqmtf5iJ
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Sdkb2IMCA
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlSbkoN38k
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiczsmp7Ywl
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeUjNO4NWn
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptsDtijyed
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOx5w3LhHTN
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOqOohVKt8
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDseUXBOuEV
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGeT61Gx8j
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wjdItSFcU
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7i5AoRXJTz
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDBRYJ6AGB
Some nerve.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwwxxILfCl
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XKoz9cCEF
Never mind.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeK0v7MRSc
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjAM4zTXl1
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCalQLk03rD
The door swings open.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsbnsOgAQM
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDQ1ccdUijm
"Hello."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡex3TTOIQQg
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPoIgoxVeSx
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsauqmtf5iJ
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Sdkb2IMCA
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIlSbkoN38k
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiczsmp7Ywl
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeUjNO4NWn
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptsDtijyed
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOx5w3LhHTN
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOqOohVKt8
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDseUXBOuEV
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGeT61Gx8j
Huh. Funny dat.
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimmpsxd0C2
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRb5CTWbvAG
4
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVp9O3hl9cR
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?810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc3BwRnShZ
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUpJq5M9pK
"Hey, Nick."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYP4bnrhF4k
"Hey, Mike."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oD4zecrSz
"What's good?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLatIyMZsje
"Not much," he says with a sigh.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVdAlxNFXt
"How come?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwejVRkqMm
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8E8zBkLNn
"Where?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuftnqaAjzz
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOnxAPIFew
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dxRzvRCGi
"Who's he?" I ask.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OeYc2GTQd
"Stanley," Wannabe says.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQSs5F1Hc4
"Oh."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjoegVaNmB
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTOoSa9KML
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjIUqqz1WN
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDG1MEPTed
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhbe6DsTRu
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1yF3Z6sAO
"Mike."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkgwNQmxoH
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21Uqsit6WZ
I keep my yap shut.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vuid1wWIR
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFlzvnIFmA
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPVqVdkqLJ
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXR8AFpqnC
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdncqw3oK3R
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVj9LOW1g4
"Like what? LSD?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6lYKojCjB
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3S2xWwwPTb
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHm4jG82Zg
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48MQtiGzmC
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!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrC2jqsRLgv
Everything changes then.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JcpBc6F3d
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYAmRqW3Yp
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTG9yGVNGX
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxz4WvCnT2
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiCUHXahR8
No one listens. They laugh.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblyKrM1Lm9
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!810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CFXEB7VTp
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4KEqKCWKS
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISS36aRHZj
A pull.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBarCOy4Mmg
Rip.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDzmvhlMgX
RIP.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5L0RlGUauv
I'm dead.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSLiN1vCYA
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUpJq5M9pK
"Hey, Nick."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYP4bnrhF4k
"Hey, Mike."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oD4zecrSz
"What's good?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLatIyMZsje
"Not much," he says with a sigh.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVdAlxNFXt
"How come?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwejVRkqMm
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8E8zBkLNn
"Where?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuftnqaAjzz
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOnxAPIFew
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dxRzvRCGi
"Who's he?" I ask.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3OeYc2GTQd
"Stanley," Wannabe says.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQSs5F1Hc4
"Oh."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjoegVaNmB
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTOoSa9KML
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjIUqqz1WN
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDG1MEPTed
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhbe6DsTRu
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1yF3Z6sAO
"Mike."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkkgwNQmxoH
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21Uqsit6WZ
I keep my yap shut.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8vuid1wWIR
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFlzvnIFmA
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPVqVdkqLJ
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXR8AFpqnC
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdncqw3oK3R
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVj9LOW1g4
"Like what? LSD?"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6lYKojCjB
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3S2xWwwPTb
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHm4jG82Zg
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48MQtiGzmC
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!"810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrC2jqsRLgv
Everything changes then.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JcpBc6F3d
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYAmRqW3Yp
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTG9yGVNGX
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxz4WvCnT2
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiCUHXahR8
No one listens. They laugh.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblyKrM1Lm9
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!810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0CFXEB7VTp
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4KEqKCWKS
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.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISS36aRHZj
A pull.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBarCOy4Mmg
Rip.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDzmvhlMgX
RIP.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5L0RlGUauv
I'm dead.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSLiN1vCYA
In bed.
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwjRXUINy4
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy91cMkzlS7
?
810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7s56MSfpgT
THE Rain Has Fallen.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3EBI4dzTb
No. That's not it.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoz4jfSyxa
They Came After The Rain.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufCCMv57Gz
There it is.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi1y5oM0eH
That's the one.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLL44OefNM
The end.
ns216.73.216.238da2 No. That's not it.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoz4jfSyxa
They Came After The Rain.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡufCCMv57Gz
There it is.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoi1y5oM0eH
That's the one.810Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLL44OefNM
The end.
