x
568Please respect copyright.PENANAAb8UUhZcYK
-
568Please respect copyright.PENANAnVX64h98is
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
568Please respect copyright.PENANAyQeTDVN4eI
568Please respect copyright.PENANAova1c5kHCZ
1568Please respect copyright.PENANAQrQW2nJ8rX
568Please respect copyright.PENANAqrTEmKi1Nq
568Please respect copyright.PENANAqrTEmKi1Nq
568Please respect copyright.PENANA4wLjlawFxW
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 568Please respect copyright.PENANA6nO6Lx46Qz
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."568Please respect copyright.PENANAwmD4MXRf5b
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."568Please respect copyright.PENANAGX1fjE2rCq
"Yeah."568Please respect copyright.PENANAbTKu0FZJYM
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."568Please respect copyright.PENANAy5kzMaG9bO
"Something you want to talk about?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAsdGZ1XxO84
"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.568Please respect copyright.PENANARDVEa1qIEG
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."568Please respect copyright.PENANAT20TJ1JwJL
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."568Please respect copyright.PENANAqxGipi6fjo
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.568Please respect copyright.PENANASlCUYQPmwi
I consider the offer. 568Please respect copyright.PENANAyEwrcznDln
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAk7DKcT2Lkp
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."568Please respect copyright.PENANAUwyMyDalKP
"Good. Go to sleep."568Please respect copyright.PENANAEjxBpUX0uW
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.568Please respect copyright.PENANAUg7UTGBjku
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.568Please respect copyright.PENANAtUxjEWkfOo
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
568Please respect copyright.PENANANk7gz6DnXmDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."568Please respect copyright.PENANAwmD4MXRf5b
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."568Please respect copyright.PENANAGX1fjE2rCq
"Yeah."568Please respect copyright.PENANAbTKu0FZJYM
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."568Please respect copyright.PENANAy5kzMaG9bO
"Something you want to talk about?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAsdGZ1XxO84
"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.568Please respect copyright.PENANARDVEa1qIEG
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."568Please respect copyright.PENANAT20TJ1JwJL
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."568Please respect copyright.PENANAqxGipi6fjo
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.568Please respect copyright.PENANASlCUYQPmwi
I consider the offer. 568Please respect copyright.PENANAyEwrcznDln
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAk7DKcT2Lkp
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."568Please respect copyright.PENANAUwyMyDalKP
"Good. Go to sleep."568Please respect copyright.PENANAEjxBpUX0uW
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.568Please respect copyright.PENANAUg7UTGBjku
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.568Please respect copyright.PENANAtUxjEWkfOo
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2568Please respect copyright.PENANABET7mzuFF8
568Please respect copyright.PENANAVQdqal6AQX
568Please respect copyright.PENANAVQdqal6AQX
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAC2qTRK498g
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAlYPOxeY6Pl
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAbbd68Un21P
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAtw2kSC9UII
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.568Please respect copyright.PENANAVtT92UNLt5
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAfme7lC00xA
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.568Please respect copyright.PENANAi9Q1wo7peB
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAvkgY1pQihx
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAHeabyocyNc
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.568Please respect copyright.PENANA1hapE2e1xz
"Drugs," he says cryptically.568Please respect copyright.PENANAKmp9tAyVKM
"Hmm?" I ask.568Please respect copyright.PENANAzI17cSicBu
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.568Please respect copyright.PENANAekVJxehAiQ
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.568Please respect copyright.PENANAS9EIfHrBdY
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?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAhzrL8c37gg
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAqB064sRJ7V
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.568Please respect copyright.PENANANJ2SSvdZUM
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAHXlvP9jA2o
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."568Please respect copyright.PENANA9ViZxmMAiG
"So, how long are you?"568Please respect copyright.PENANABQ0qxil34G
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAhF8UxVeEKM
"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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAbJEg4dnjGc
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAlYPOxeY6Pl
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAbbd68Un21P
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAtw2kSC9UII
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.568Please respect copyright.PENANAVtT92UNLt5
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAfme7lC00xA
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.568Please respect copyright.PENANAi9Q1wo7peB
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAvkgY1pQihx
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAHeabyocyNc
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.568Please respect copyright.PENANA1hapE2e1xz
"Drugs," he says cryptically.568Please respect copyright.PENANAKmp9tAyVKM
"Hmm?" I ask.568Please respect copyright.PENANAzI17cSicBu
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.568Please respect copyright.PENANAekVJxehAiQ
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.568Please respect copyright.PENANAS9EIfHrBdY
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?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAhzrL8c37gg
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAqB064sRJ7V
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.568Please respect copyright.PENANANJ2SSvdZUM
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAHXlvP9jA2o
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."568Please respect copyright.PENANA9ViZxmMAiG
"So, how long are you?"568Please respect copyright.PENANABQ0qxil34G
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAhF8UxVeEKM
"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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAbJEg4dnjGc
Bitch.
568Please respect copyright.PENANAWN9lTh9CBn
568Please respect copyright.PENANAvTCEQcpYeS
3568Please respect copyright.PENANATsz2DfbCm5
568Please respect copyright.PENANAET2n16wzaS
568Please respect copyright.PENANAET2n16wzaS
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANA6T5g9oUqJW
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAZdPrnAzJqg
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAlgRBF5cs4r
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.568Please respect copyright.PENANAqpzGsVJX0j
Some nerve.568Please respect copyright.PENANAQqw4qv7KVi
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.568Please respect copyright.PENANArHjxyUa0Ts
Never mind.568Please respect copyright.PENANAJKHR6j8WOj
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?568Please respect copyright.PENANA0GWZtuHc6z
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?568Please respect copyright.PENANAQqfHe9Dyek
The door swings open.568Please respect copyright.PENANANCbfAaw4Zg
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.568Please respect copyright.PENANAO06aaYcxMc
"Hello."568Please respect copyright.PENANAiHm7ynh2HY
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAYVz5Tllz95
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.568Please respect copyright.PENANAFA6WlALN0v
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5oUNtoCED
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAnil3rApHwl
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?568Please respect copyright.PENANAqI8IntXaef
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAOqCrJOSGrM
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"568Please respect copyright.PENANATVwU9Hjfui
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."568Please respect copyright.PENANA26DbhOFguO
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.568Please respect copyright.PENANABobImR70Us
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.568Please respect copyright.PENANAdquaibWMFw
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.568Please respect copyright.PENANA07SIkAjVI9
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAZdPrnAzJqg
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAlgRBF5cs4r
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.568Please respect copyright.PENANAqpzGsVJX0j
Some nerve.568Please respect copyright.PENANAQqw4qv7KVi
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.568Please respect copyright.PENANArHjxyUa0Ts
Never mind.568Please respect copyright.PENANAJKHR6j8WOj
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?568Please respect copyright.PENANA0GWZtuHc6z
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?568Please respect copyright.PENANAQqfHe9Dyek
The door swings open.568Please respect copyright.PENANANCbfAaw4Zg
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.568Please respect copyright.PENANAO06aaYcxMc
"Hello."568Please respect copyright.PENANAiHm7ynh2HY
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAYVz5Tllz95
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.568Please respect copyright.PENANAFA6WlALN0v
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5oUNtoCED
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"568Please respect copyright.PENANAnil3rApHwl
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?568Please respect copyright.PENANAqI8IntXaef
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAOqCrJOSGrM
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"568Please respect copyright.PENANATVwU9Hjfui
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."568Please respect copyright.PENANA26DbhOFguO
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.568Please respect copyright.PENANABobImR70Us
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.568Please respect copyright.PENANAdquaibWMFw
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.568Please respect copyright.PENANA07SIkAjVI9
Huh. Funny dat.
568Please respect copyright.PENANAYgsiVU49iP
568Please respect copyright.PENANA9Mo0rKxxHh
4
568Please respect copyright.PENANAqjAEPCnZWU
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?568Please respect copyright.PENANAn3J3yOQjg3
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANA4qY7AtXsHS
"Hey, Nick."568Please respect copyright.PENANAp97CujIthf
"Hey, Mike."568Please respect copyright.PENANAAvLBjYuYFO
"What's good?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAx4R9uZRwTr
"Not much," he says with a sigh.568Please respect copyright.PENANAgJocvQ0V3Q
"How come?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAMgHWDAqMWy
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.568Please respect copyright.PENANAMFA5MhIK4j
"Where?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAwrkG54RplK
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 568Please respect copyright.PENANABKvT3oDILf
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.568Please respect copyright.PENANAfo6o4l3EPX
"Who's he?" I ask.568Please respect copyright.PENANAmrnfsQsprD
"Stanley," Wannabe says.568Please respect copyright.PENANAYj5tEgTD8B
"Oh."568Please respect copyright.PENANAMhSQs7S7Pb
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAnsF6iX51Ku
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.568Please respect copyright.PENANAp3ef9rn3BQ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."568Please respect copyright.PENANAO9QJomYVCx
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.568Please respect copyright.PENANAE7RjTaGymn
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAy1I0DHgy2N
"Mike."568Please respect copyright.PENANAdAWjEtwJNE
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"568Please respect copyright.PENANA2Kr55oQwNO
I keep my yap shut.568Please respect copyright.PENANAUyaVdWjBoV
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.568Please respect copyright.PENANAFXKkBYMGXN
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.568Please respect copyright.PENANA1kcybBqTGZ
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.568Please respect copyright.PENANAdYIQmxc79N
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.568Please respect copyright.PENANAAobcjslzh0
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.568Please respect copyright.PENANAiWKOtA6Jqq
"Like what? LSD?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAAZjCMviCxb
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.568Please respect copyright.PENANA3sPKzsXs2V
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."568Please respect copyright.PENANAvo0bylSUSo
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.568Please respect copyright.PENANAxKNlcgUprQ
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!"568Please respect copyright.PENANA2sGynZTD1t
Everything changes then.568Please respect copyright.PENANARNZlkwY7ck
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.568Please respect copyright.PENANA1hDsa4RIOK
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 568Please respect copyright.PENANARla4ecuGhX
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.568Please respect copyright.PENANA37b9bPBLQQ
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 568Please respect copyright.PENANAJLBNinIgVb
No one listens. They laugh.568Please respect copyright.PENANAQmYeB4uUUT
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!568Please respect copyright.PENANAVs1ClcDdYX
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAbQhnJiGp2i
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANA3smBgu0b3D
A pull.568Please respect copyright.PENANAS2PmPFNHiY
Rip.568Please respect copyright.PENANAshhtMMmkLW
RIP.568Please respect copyright.PENANA2YScawkgDl
I'm dead.568Please respect copyright.PENANAwtfSDgUw6f
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANA4qY7AtXsHS
"Hey, Nick."568Please respect copyright.PENANAp97CujIthf
"Hey, Mike."568Please respect copyright.PENANAAvLBjYuYFO
"What's good?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAx4R9uZRwTr
"Not much," he says with a sigh.568Please respect copyright.PENANAgJocvQ0V3Q
"How come?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAMgHWDAqMWy
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.568Please respect copyright.PENANAMFA5MhIK4j
"Where?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAwrkG54RplK
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 568Please respect copyright.PENANABKvT3oDILf
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.568Please respect copyright.PENANAfo6o4l3EPX
"Who's he?" I ask.568Please respect copyright.PENANAmrnfsQsprD
"Stanley," Wannabe says.568Please respect copyright.PENANAYj5tEgTD8B
"Oh."568Please respect copyright.PENANAMhSQs7S7Pb
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAnsF6iX51Ku
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.568Please respect copyright.PENANAp3ef9rn3BQ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."568Please respect copyright.PENANAO9QJomYVCx
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.568Please respect copyright.PENANAE7RjTaGymn
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAy1I0DHgy2N
"Mike."568Please respect copyright.PENANAdAWjEtwJNE
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"568Please respect copyright.PENANA2Kr55oQwNO
I keep my yap shut.568Please respect copyright.PENANAUyaVdWjBoV
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.568Please respect copyright.PENANAFXKkBYMGXN
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.568Please respect copyright.PENANA1kcybBqTGZ
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.568Please respect copyright.PENANAdYIQmxc79N
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.568Please respect copyright.PENANAAobcjslzh0
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.568Please respect copyright.PENANAiWKOtA6Jqq
"Like what? LSD?"568Please respect copyright.PENANAAZjCMviCxb
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.568Please respect copyright.PENANA3sPKzsXs2V
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."568Please respect copyright.PENANAvo0bylSUSo
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.568Please respect copyright.PENANAxKNlcgUprQ
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!"568Please respect copyright.PENANA2sGynZTD1t
Everything changes then.568Please respect copyright.PENANARNZlkwY7ck
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.568Please respect copyright.PENANA1hDsa4RIOK
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 568Please respect copyright.PENANARla4ecuGhX
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.568Please respect copyright.PENANA37b9bPBLQQ
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 568Please respect copyright.PENANAJLBNinIgVb
No one listens. They laugh.568Please respect copyright.PENANAQmYeB4uUUT
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!568Please respect copyright.PENANAVs1ClcDdYX
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANAbQhnJiGp2i
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.568Please respect copyright.PENANA3smBgu0b3D
A pull.568Please respect copyright.PENANAS2PmPFNHiY
Rip.568Please respect copyright.PENANAshhtMMmkLW
RIP.568Please respect copyright.PENANA2YScawkgDl
I'm dead.568Please respect copyright.PENANAwtfSDgUw6f
In bed.
568Please respect copyright.PENANAIIit8F4WZk
568Please respect copyright.PENANAloc0lumZI6
?
568Please respect copyright.PENANAafeDZKT61W
THE Rain Has Fallen.568Please respect copyright.PENANAdzSlI71EFg
No. That's not it.568Please respect copyright.PENANAmuQRPynicu
They Came After The Rain.568Please respect copyright.PENANAmY3TDddII8
There it is.568Please respect copyright.PENANAQrOHZ1W3sX
That's the one.568Please respect copyright.PENANA7ip5JHNxgF
The end.
ns 172.70.127.63da2 No. That's not it.568Please respect copyright.PENANAmuQRPynicu
They Came After The Rain.568Please respect copyright.PENANAmY3TDddII8
There it is.568Please respect copyright.PENANAQrOHZ1W3sX
That's the one.568Please respect copyright.PENANA7ip5JHNxgF
The end.