777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznd8aqGto7
-
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPIHlyc2ze
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOlGQAGYx7
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqIQGTHIcg
1777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTxIqs6A3w
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2FOy8m362
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2FOy8m362
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmFKakAOeR
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lKOB1OWqd
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTLb1OLjv3
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6GiOBNZ3g
"Yeah."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECJ2WUkwC3
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L88RVq0DP
"Something you want to talk about?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ2nVbZoXY
"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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPI70zaxKw
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXUesZ7DmX
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27Kk3rErpc
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDOzxBfusU
I consider the offer. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Atrbrb4g1
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBEN20m5VU
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5I7eEX5cm4
"Good. Go to sleep."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBrCsPvqd6
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5UC6ijh6P
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwOh4N05n1
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLY5Zkst4ADad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTLb1OLjv3
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6GiOBNZ3g
"Yeah."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECJ2WUkwC3
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7L88RVq0DP
"Something you want to talk about?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ2nVbZoXY
"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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPI70zaxKw
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXUesZ7DmX
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ27Kk3rErpc
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDOzxBfusU
I consider the offer. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Atrbrb4g1
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBEN20m5VU
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5I7eEX5cm4
"Good. Go to sleep."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBrCsPvqd6
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5UC6ijh6P
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYwOh4N05n1
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgjJ2UIwO47
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsybR0qhUV
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsybR0qhUV
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZfH6py0mb
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgOkHlMP2O
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3iJ6YTK5m
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Jgs0tot4A
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QBVJ0i6nn
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiHv7qwa9J
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAFM8MM2XU
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqT4oI3qdQ6
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7pXTOrPSE
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1cuQcbXzJ
"Drugs," he says cryptically.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSMCf5ybRp
"Hmm?" I ask.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRz1IQVYBe
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTc0H9uNSn
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8s2gLJyB0
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?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeQRRp3stA
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdl4XF2l7H
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5fELnE6Yj
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKIBC8c0im
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4Onu94Z79
"So, how long are you?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgozKTrnku
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U57tBdjjr
"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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIR1oGeIA9
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgOkHlMP2O
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3iJ6YTK5m
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Jgs0tot4A
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QBVJ0i6nn
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiHv7qwa9J
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAFM8MM2XU
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqT4oI3qdQ6
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7pXTOrPSE
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN1cuQcbXzJ
"Drugs," he says cryptically.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSMCf5ybRp
"Hmm?" I ask.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRz1IQVYBe
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTc0H9uNSn
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8s2gLJyB0
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?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeQRRp3stA
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdl4XF2l7H
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5fELnE6Yj
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKIBC8c0im
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4Onu94Z79
"So, how long are you?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgozKTrnku
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U57tBdjjr
"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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIR1oGeIA9
Bitch.
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVL2p9Jmep
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0OcnXoQqv
3777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFUrkKwysM
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9hqXN6KEZ
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9hqXN6KEZ
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4q5uyz1IB
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvqn4apIeA
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq94weIbnw9
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhWxYyPKoI
Some nerve.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhETROeo7oB
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbphAL7N9L
Never mind.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSvqyhukWs
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbzcmCRmh1
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqScmCvF23
The door swings open.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyc3RsiyFl
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHr2I93DNU
"Hello."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qiIgQhCqB
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eqwz5sROJ
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KGvPNHo93
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPRdRjvGch
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLXYjzHLLT
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw41X6YPS1
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOgNiYs6BC
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYFZ0SsCuU
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCNueOMvdH
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9VXSNYYvl
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzZskoMnWg
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX5w5rVWMN
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvqn4apIeA
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq94weIbnw9
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXhWxYyPKoI
Some nerve.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhETROeo7oB
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbphAL7N9L
Never mind.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSvqyhukWs
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbzcmCRmh1
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqScmCvF23
The door swings open.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyc3RsiyFl
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHr2I93DNU
"Hello."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qiIgQhCqB
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eqwz5sROJ
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KGvPNHo93
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPRdRjvGch
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLXYjzHLLT
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw41X6YPS1
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOgNiYs6BC
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYFZ0SsCuU
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCNueOMvdH
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU9VXSNYYvl
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzZskoMnWg
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX5w5rVWMN
Huh. Funny dat.
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCf86LwNiD
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmej8bVc7j
4
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHGitNCTmf
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?777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqB4z91KTv
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gND2rkx6Y
"Hey, Nick."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPiC3CuOue
"Hey, Mike."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTMUaeayRS
"What's good?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8DltniPZ0
"Not much," he says with a sigh.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehmnXDnlpA
"How come?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEZvWeClGW
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpZAbZUzyE
"Where?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvLyGd7wYB
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2uD8GtI3v
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNJD2ldLTG
"Who's he?" I ask.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYP3vaeO3s
"Stanley," Wannabe says.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyK6tq7XTK
"Oh."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDHun4ojaa
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadgAO7pYo1
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRX6B1naOH
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xmPTJSaw6
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbXtd5xOyz
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0MSeGODvN
"Mike."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6MTI0pf50
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76FJOVpjSA
I keep my yap shut.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjb9CaYLRu6
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ4DTjB2Lz
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuLDp3Zkj1
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSzP5EZxVL
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR9sJKVPLf
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGApiVTGdu
"Like what? LSD?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswY5Ra3cKJ
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHp6k9jWhR
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlbbYBltIc
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlZmeFDXkf
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!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYYXcoHxR7
Everything changes then.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZeEdtq1p9
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi99hB06cU
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeAtTwPLrs
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNETnNN90B5
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYjYmotQxf
No one listens. They laugh.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwE3SdM8ek1
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!777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv1U0bufnZ
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4o4dBDKEpA
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r0vahSmXX
A pull.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdvDexhr8r
Rip.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4f0hTKg0di
RIP.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpWTHFV5NO
I'm dead.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmSjBojCY3
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gND2rkx6Y
"Hey, Nick."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPiC3CuOue
"Hey, Mike."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTMUaeayRS
"What's good?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8DltniPZ0
"Not much," he says with a sigh.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehmnXDnlpA
"How come?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEZvWeClGW
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpZAbZUzyE
"Where?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvLyGd7wYB
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2uD8GtI3v
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNJD2ldLTG
"Who's he?" I ask.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYP3vaeO3s
"Stanley," Wannabe says.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyK6tq7XTK
"Oh."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDHun4ojaa
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadgAO7pYo1
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRX6B1naOH
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4xmPTJSaw6
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbXtd5xOyz
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0MSeGODvN
"Mike."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6MTI0pf50
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76FJOVpjSA
I keep my yap shut.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjb9CaYLRu6
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQ4DTjB2Lz
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuLDp3Zkj1
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSzP5EZxVL
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR9sJKVPLf
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGApiVTGdu
"Like what? LSD?"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswY5Ra3cKJ
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHp6k9jWhR
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmlbbYBltIc
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlZmeFDXkf
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!"777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYYXcoHxR7
Everything changes then.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZeEdtq1p9
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvi99hB06cU
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeAtTwPLrs
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNETnNN90B5
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYjYmotQxf
No one listens. They laugh.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwE3SdM8ek1
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!777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTv1U0bufnZ
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4o4dBDKEpA
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.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1r0vahSmXX
A pull.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdvDexhr8r
Rip.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4f0hTKg0di
RIP.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpWTHFV5NO
I'm dead.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmSjBojCY3
In bed.
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgdGSihMv5
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyd8YvPlRbc
?
777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFnlAAAX9A
THE Rain Has Fallen.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OaAXEmzR3
No. That's not it.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNVcec1sjl
They Came After The Rain.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXm2fTUI3X
There it is.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWNcFCyBIN
That's the one.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mWjsfkt3m
The end.
ns216.73.216.176da2 No. That's not it.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNVcec1sjl
They Came After The Rain.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXm2fTUI3X
There it is.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWNcFCyBIN
That's the one.777Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mWjsfkt3m
The end.
