x
556Please respect copyright.PENANAqohqZkpJB0
-
556Please respect copyright.PENANACWnhjFHWft
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
556Please respect copyright.PENANAkSfu8VTqSZ
556Please respect copyright.PENANA2vqGmjABDj
1556Please respect copyright.PENANAgaOGldrLZ9
556Please respect copyright.PENANAJJ6jdpzDfU
556Please respect copyright.PENANAJJ6jdpzDfU
556Please respect copyright.PENANAsWpQwmwjpm
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 556Please respect copyright.PENANAY0zYDJz3VZ
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."556Please respect copyright.PENANAb6sRpTtrkb
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."556Please respect copyright.PENANAWpqDD0VsEl
"Yeah."556Please respect copyright.PENANAo1VLs2db4i
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."556Please respect copyright.PENANA0QJi3OJhka
"Something you want to talk about?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAvhitkUdc7y
"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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAS4fIZw228m
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."556Please respect copyright.PENANAYV2XlHM5vG
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."556Please respect copyright.PENANAfpV3CWt9ZL
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.556Please respect copyright.PENANA7sXfggNxEO
I consider the offer. 556Please respect copyright.PENANAByvr9muD8g
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAjE9f9ttDKK
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."556Please respect copyright.PENANAJyrJgWDxJO
"Good. Go to sleep."556Please respect copyright.PENANAKTmCt3EaJ7
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.556Please respect copyright.PENANAQlhCs40g0n
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.556Please respect copyright.PENANARsAY63s4Fr
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
556Please respect copyright.PENANAZxsQWtD3sQDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."556Please respect copyright.PENANAb6sRpTtrkb
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."556Please respect copyright.PENANAWpqDD0VsEl
"Yeah."556Please respect copyright.PENANAo1VLs2db4i
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."556Please respect copyright.PENANA0QJi3OJhka
"Something you want to talk about?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAvhitkUdc7y
"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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAS4fIZw228m
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."556Please respect copyright.PENANAYV2XlHM5vG
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."556Please respect copyright.PENANAfpV3CWt9ZL
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.556Please respect copyright.PENANA7sXfggNxEO
I consider the offer. 556Please respect copyright.PENANAByvr9muD8g
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAjE9f9ttDKK
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."556Please respect copyright.PENANAJyrJgWDxJO
"Good. Go to sleep."556Please respect copyright.PENANAKTmCt3EaJ7
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.556Please respect copyright.PENANAQlhCs40g0n
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.556Please respect copyright.PENANARsAY63s4Fr
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2556Please respect copyright.PENANAGU0BqZOWDt
556Please respect copyright.PENANAU2U1CdEhEG
556Please respect copyright.PENANAU2U1CdEhEG
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANA8vpjulskaC
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAiJNsIsT0du
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAWzGyavN2gK
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAej15i0IrQC
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUvfUcrMz7p
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"556Please respect copyright.PENANABrdBuGBEmn
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.556Please respect copyright.PENANAjXKLBAuTri
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAFUzB6VmrWz
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAFzCVYz7is0
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.556Please respect copyright.PENANAaLVes2i0qc
"Drugs," he says cryptically.556Please respect copyright.PENANAoiFVjccihu
"Hmm?" I ask.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUJpxHpBPpO
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.556Please respect copyright.PENANAo3XY45ri3Q
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.556Please respect copyright.PENANAKYzk8DqYfa
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?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAvsNfPwRZnW
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAJiEWn8xpjm
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.556Please respect copyright.PENANApP1hzuPC4b
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAmZJZrBDgFw
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."556Please respect copyright.PENANAzG5YfOPdor
"So, how long are you?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAk1tKk0FSMF
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAvLFuVtovfT
"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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAiZtqFgoVY6
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAiJNsIsT0du
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAWzGyavN2gK
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAej15i0IrQC
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUvfUcrMz7p
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"556Please respect copyright.PENANABrdBuGBEmn
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.556Please respect copyright.PENANAjXKLBAuTri
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAFUzB6VmrWz
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAFzCVYz7is0
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.556Please respect copyright.PENANAaLVes2i0qc
"Drugs," he says cryptically.556Please respect copyright.PENANAoiFVjccihu
"Hmm?" I ask.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUJpxHpBPpO
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.556Please respect copyright.PENANAo3XY45ri3Q
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.556Please respect copyright.PENANAKYzk8DqYfa
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?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAvsNfPwRZnW
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAJiEWn8xpjm
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.556Please respect copyright.PENANApP1hzuPC4b
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAmZJZrBDgFw
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."556Please respect copyright.PENANAzG5YfOPdor
"So, how long are you?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAk1tKk0FSMF
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAvLFuVtovfT
"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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAiZtqFgoVY6
Bitch.
556Please respect copyright.PENANAycnpXpsrNH
556Please respect copyright.PENANAjMmzPdrHSL
3556Please respect copyright.PENANAiBnnGTuwaN
556Please respect copyright.PENANAICvPjU61At
556Please respect copyright.PENANAICvPjU61At
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAWir5XRTH9Z
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANARpQlCAEzn1
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAX5xSxIh87M
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.556Please respect copyright.PENANA52M3wi0h5t
Some nerve.556Please respect copyright.PENANAwtXRzuvWVU
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.556Please respect copyright.PENANAgkX86jJNuV
Never mind.556Please respect copyright.PENANAWJqsusFodd
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?556Please respect copyright.PENANAyoZEfooZjf
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?556Please respect copyright.PENANAx6TKUVyPWn
The door swings open.556Please respect copyright.PENANAWYQqEpnEaa
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.556Please respect copyright.PENANAFNgHpCR6qT
"Hello."556Please respect copyright.PENANA6T4GlRugCX
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAvUjkVILLpF
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.556Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3JBrTVrO6
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAuoJ9Gh0jXy
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAWt41UTbKpZ
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?556Please respect copyright.PENANAgTmrh38apB
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAMzksi1ZvzZ
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAgUxsHmOvox
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."556Please respect copyright.PENANAC12ORozFDW
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.556Please respect copyright.PENANAGjQ1Pt7IBG
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.556Please respect copyright.PENANAYIjCOZbdbz
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.556Please respect copyright.PENANA9WcW6Pk8Pt
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANARpQlCAEzn1
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAX5xSxIh87M
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.556Please respect copyright.PENANA52M3wi0h5t
Some nerve.556Please respect copyright.PENANAwtXRzuvWVU
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.556Please respect copyright.PENANAgkX86jJNuV
Never mind.556Please respect copyright.PENANAWJqsusFodd
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?556Please respect copyright.PENANAyoZEfooZjf
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?556Please respect copyright.PENANAx6TKUVyPWn
The door swings open.556Please respect copyright.PENANAWYQqEpnEaa
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.556Please respect copyright.PENANAFNgHpCR6qT
"Hello."556Please respect copyright.PENANA6T4GlRugCX
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAvUjkVILLpF
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.556Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3JBrTVrO6
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAuoJ9Gh0jXy
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAWt41UTbKpZ
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?556Please respect copyright.PENANAgTmrh38apB
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAMzksi1ZvzZ
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAgUxsHmOvox
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."556Please respect copyright.PENANAC12ORozFDW
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.556Please respect copyright.PENANAGjQ1Pt7IBG
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.556Please respect copyright.PENANAYIjCOZbdbz
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.556Please respect copyright.PENANA9WcW6Pk8Pt
Huh. Funny dat.
556Please respect copyright.PENANAz9CUvuayWV
556Please respect copyright.PENANAqMAjb5Aqzx
4
556Please respect copyright.PENANAnbAdXw6NkB
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?556Please respect copyright.PENANAb7SBYrAzeY
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAjP87xoxDxD
"Hey, Nick."556Please respect copyright.PENANAqxnb7GS8yA
"Hey, Mike."556Please respect copyright.PENANAywMFSpm92U
"What's good?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAm8plKzGRED
"Not much," he says with a sigh.556Please respect copyright.PENANAot3obQcZa6
"How come?"556Please respect copyright.PENANA2aCU5fz1EB
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.556Please respect copyright.PENANA3oJ7NWbLKr
"Where?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAyCjAYVj9K4
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 556Please respect copyright.PENANACdEEiYXwxS
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.556Please respect copyright.PENANAs6SvwOvV7M
"Who's he?" I ask.556Please respect copyright.PENANArtEgqYCS21
"Stanley," Wannabe says.556Please respect copyright.PENANALVfLFhYsZv
"Oh."556Please respect copyright.PENANAi7443NybgF
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANANzSI9NCiss
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.556Please respect copyright.PENANAK03PZOoYNZ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."556Please respect copyright.PENANAnLR7M4gHls
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.556Please respect copyright.PENANAdkf0MPLdIz
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"556Please respect copyright.PENANA0T00gi3QIJ
"Mike."556Please respect copyright.PENANAl8LCSDsIN6
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAQK89UL0boe
I keep my yap shut.556Please respect copyright.PENANAVaVWhq9Col
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.556Please respect copyright.PENANASZgwIxphXd
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.556Please respect copyright.PENANAaOC4zu7zXz
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.556Please respect copyright.PENANApdt0UM4Dha
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.556Please respect copyright.PENANAEvbkqvXsUf
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.556Please respect copyright.PENANAfKQUUVjicU
"Like what? LSD?"556Please respect copyright.PENANA3kxweEowJ1
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.556Please respect copyright.PENANAaeUi4WwPrH
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."556Please respect copyright.PENANAX8A6yax51A
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.556Please respect copyright.PENANAvw7u7Pxvk9
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!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAFjGDL0hkrg
Everything changes then.556Please respect copyright.PENANAgnlJGNtHFX
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.556Please respect copyright.PENANAYDMrakkda9
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 556Please respect copyright.PENANAjsTLW5I8NY
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUy8Uva85xh
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 556Please respect copyright.PENANADR1ADHQVLD
No one listens. They laugh.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUrBhUsdNJ0
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!556Please respect copyright.PENANAi3EybGImo5
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAJDAphoaSfu
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAF0ClKds747
A pull.556Please respect copyright.PENANAiUaoz1joiQ
Rip.556Please respect copyright.PENANASS9bSDk7hQ
RIP.556Please respect copyright.PENANAfI8vq7Zohm
I'm dead.556Please respect copyright.PENANAZKbCYqpth7
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAjP87xoxDxD
"Hey, Nick."556Please respect copyright.PENANAqxnb7GS8yA
"Hey, Mike."556Please respect copyright.PENANAywMFSpm92U
"What's good?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAm8plKzGRED
"Not much," he says with a sigh.556Please respect copyright.PENANAot3obQcZa6
"How come?"556Please respect copyright.PENANA2aCU5fz1EB
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.556Please respect copyright.PENANA3oJ7NWbLKr
"Where?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAyCjAYVj9K4
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 556Please respect copyright.PENANACdEEiYXwxS
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.556Please respect copyright.PENANAs6SvwOvV7M
"Who's he?" I ask.556Please respect copyright.PENANArtEgqYCS21
"Stanley," Wannabe says.556Please respect copyright.PENANALVfLFhYsZv
"Oh."556Please respect copyright.PENANAi7443NybgF
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANANzSI9NCiss
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.556Please respect copyright.PENANAK03PZOoYNZ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."556Please respect copyright.PENANAnLR7M4gHls
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.556Please respect copyright.PENANAdkf0MPLdIz
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"556Please respect copyright.PENANA0T00gi3QIJ
"Mike."556Please respect copyright.PENANAl8LCSDsIN6
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"556Please respect copyright.PENANAQK89UL0boe
I keep my yap shut.556Please respect copyright.PENANAVaVWhq9Col
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.556Please respect copyright.PENANASZgwIxphXd
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.556Please respect copyright.PENANAaOC4zu7zXz
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.556Please respect copyright.PENANApdt0UM4Dha
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.556Please respect copyright.PENANAEvbkqvXsUf
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.556Please respect copyright.PENANAfKQUUVjicU
"Like what? LSD?"556Please respect copyright.PENANA3kxweEowJ1
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.556Please respect copyright.PENANAaeUi4WwPrH
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."556Please respect copyright.PENANAX8A6yax51A
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.556Please respect copyright.PENANAvw7u7Pxvk9
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!"556Please respect copyright.PENANAFjGDL0hkrg
Everything changes then.556Please respect copyright.PENANAgnlJGNtHFX
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.556Please respect copyright.PENANAYDMrakkda9
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 556Please respect copyright.PENANAjsTLW5I8NY
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUy8Uva85xh
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 556Please respect copyright.PENANADR1ADHQVLD
No one listens. They laugh.556Please respect copyright.PENANAUrBhUsdNJ0
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!556Please respect copyright.PENANAi3EybGImo5
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAJDAphoaSfu
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.556Please respect copyright.PENANAF0ClKds747
A pull.556Please respect copyright.PENANAiUaoz1joiQ
Rip.556Please respect copyright.PENANASS9bSDk7hQ
RIP.556Please respect copyright.PENANAfI8vq7Zohm
I'm dead.556Please respect copyright.PENANAZKbCYqpth7
In bed.
556Please respect copyright.PENANAsN1Bcg3NQI
556Please respect copyright.PENANAraeKyKRYwo
?
556Please respect copyright.PENANA5HIWG56b2l
THE Rain Has Fallen.556Please respect copyright.PENANAmujg9JzJNZ
No. That's not it.556Please respect copyright.PENANAZoo9aNoJH1
They Came After The Rain.556Please respect copyright.PENANA0iJe1CDfnN
There it is.556Please respect copyright.PENANA1yYklJ2QVA
That's the one.556Please respect copyright.PENANALGWm2DfkjV
The end.
ns 172.70.126.96da2 No. That's not it.556Please respect copyright.PENANAZoo9aNoJH1
They Came After The Rain.556Please respect copyright.PENANA0iJe1CDfnN
There it is.556Please respect copyright.PENANA1yYklJ2QVA
That's the one.556Please respect copyright.PENANALGWm2DfkjV
The end.