785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixG24oAU3A
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785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xF6QgM77m
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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1785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwm053gnc6
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785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgm1TFuJgWi
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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. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXH3RRooGsR
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPHHHkPwAm
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aZcwI9VjJ
"Yeah."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSVHo0osKk
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mF1vnXe4q
"Something you want to talk about?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuyCcYwh5Z
"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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH84QSMARV
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDFw7se6Gd
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5prVUYKiK
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10KkgxMkLd
I consider the offer. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKU2I2iC8kq
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12ifgae6Qy
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7h0BB10ekn
"Good. Go to sleep."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy21mSNYzXU
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlRZrqlGej
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCOZLttqql
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8wS6VP42BDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRPHHHkPwAm
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2aZcwI9VjJ
"Yeah."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSVHo0osKk
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mF1vnXe4q
"Something you want to talk about?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuyCcYwh5Z
"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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH84QSMARV
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDFw7se6Gd
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq5prVUYKiK
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10KkgxMkLd
I consider the offer. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKU2I2iC8kq
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12ifgae6Qy
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7h0BB10ekn
"Good. Go to sleep."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy21mSNYzXU
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlRZrqlGej
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCOZLttqql
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58v3h6jsCB
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmW88pCCQ7
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmW88pCCQ7
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvDDE5XxSB
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzZETXjfot
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9zYDr2MO1
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgipsIve0Pe
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiziRfxH3s7
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxq2WWgpxy
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpuvWbPkBq
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbagQrmGqRJ
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgdlk425IC
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x4kdF3mql
"Drugs," he says cryptically.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXfZtGQrNh
"Hmm?" I ask.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3OMxQM5ba
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQtC3PMgSE
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmkfKmU6a9
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?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhS6bxESFx
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ353eJplXD
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9usOJeO7vO
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZXDtERDN1
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i305B0OEx
"So, how long are you?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPE4eXMhKdt
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvM2ZuEhyA
"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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxGOFUaG13
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzZETXjfot
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9zYDr2MO1
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgipsIve0Pe
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiziRfxH3s7
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxq2WWgpxy
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpuvWbPkBq
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbagQrmGqRJ
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgdlk425IC
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2x4kdF3mql
"Drugs," he says cryptically.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGXfZtGQrNh
"Hmm?" I ask.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3OMxQM5ba
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQtC3PMgSE
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmkfKmU6a9
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?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhS6bxESFx
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ353eJplXD
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9usOJeO7vO
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZXDtERDN1
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4i305B0OEx
"So, how long are you?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPE4eXMhKdt
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvM2ZuEhyA
"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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxGOFUaG13
Bitch.
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1bIwt7ZyoB
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3785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtwnIKvtbx
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785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQzEiNLpSD
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqT1CPdzoHh
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZDmgh3WPs
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGNPSr9hG2
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AnefCae5w
Some nerve.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NRNILGtkR
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2yq6BKYVa
Never mind.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIBVKNpyBR
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOZeEhTOr8
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpXQL8yuVO
The door swings open.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKXaEbGp13
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbnLvFNULC
"Hello."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLMrUHxwbZ
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nD1Lrjrgh
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnuAaVy1fy
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRaQ9wLxTk
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SQefJPZvx
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz282QR3zn
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHACrEiLAgI
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQtjqFHCjH
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxi83fsnfjk
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIudlUh7Kb
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn49gTv42Lr
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfi9E71nHNc
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZDmgh3WPs
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPGNPSr9hG2
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8AnefCae5w
Some nerve.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NRNILGtkR
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2yq6BKYVa
Never mind.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIBVKNpyBR
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOZeEhTOr8
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhpXQL8yuVO
The door swings open.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKXaEbGp13
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbnLvFNULC
"Hello."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLMrUHxwbZ
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nD1Lrjrgh
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnuAaVy1fy
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRaQ9wLxTk
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SQefJPZvx
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz282QR3zn
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHACrEiLAgI
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQtjqFHCjH
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxi83fsnfjk
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIudlUh7Kb
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn49gTv42Lr
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfi9E71nHNc
Huh. Funny dat.
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYh78ewpkuG
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4
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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?785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lMHlwFE24
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVwZVVcdHj
"Hey, Nick."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1ZqTtlaRb
"Hey, Mike."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWkMt3ay7q
"What's good?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAH0FDW3J0I
"Not much," he says with a sigh.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2iYwJBe0y
"How come?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe33D1gHPYj
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3se60VjIP
"Where?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF29YuxTXj
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjwKQONI8J
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZuU1MqAYc
"Who's he?" I ask.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWwGmB0i2l
"Stanley," Wannabe says.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTupqejCKxJ
"Oh."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySDWNmr0DA
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFYApol4hp
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRBXaz5XGc
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPqBIfW1y4
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUrVy58z9U
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E2xplRNiP
"Mike."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdPXA1kArH
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyBjZRBEwg
I keep my yap shut.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAO7BQXeVI
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4UXNJ480N
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudtNAPSEQL
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgLqnldVoq
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MxrEB5Pob
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6TlEVWO4t
"Like what? LSD?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsehYdQhjCt
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKPeaHYSvk
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5l4LOfecJZ
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDjeGv84z3
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!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhqfUhNa7A
Everything changes then.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdC3EAvpera
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZBzHCG2iP
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82nplD1w4i
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2DfiwUTIb
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKG0oplOpDc
No one listens. They laugh.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKhLuOKj0R
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!785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLuXcwtECD
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYeif3KFte
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJ4VyDrJ3e
A pull.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yPZHH2zix
Rip.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBCU6ROgXS
RIP.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNXA9NExoi
I'm dead.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QbRtwD50I
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVwZVVcdHj
"Hey, Nick."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1ZqTtlaRb
"Hey, Mike."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWkMt3ay7q
"What's good?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAH0FDW3J0I
"Not much," he says with a sigh.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2iYwJBe0y
"How come?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe33D1gHPYj
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3se60VjIP
"Where?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHF29YuxTXj
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjwKQONI8J
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ZuU1MqAYc
"Who's he?" I ask.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWwGmB0i2l
"Stanley," Wannabe says.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTupqejCKxJ
"Oh."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySDWNmr0DA
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFYApol4hp
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRBXaz5XGc
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPqBIfW1y4
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUrVy58z9U
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3E2xplRNiP
"Mike."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdPXA1kArH
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWyBjZRBEwg
I keep my yap shut.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAO7BQXeVI
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4UXNJ480N
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudtNAPSEQL
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgLqnldVoq
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MxrEB5Pob
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU6TlEVWO4t
"Like what? LSD?"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsehYdQhjCt
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKPeaHYSvk
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5l4LOfecJZ
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDjeGv84z3
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!"785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOhqfUhNa7A
Everything changes then.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdC3EAvpera
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZBzHCG2iP
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82nplD1w4i
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2DfiwUTIb
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKG0oplOpDc
No one listens. They laugh.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKhLuOKj0R
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!785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLuXcwtECD
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYeif3KFte
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.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJ4VyDrJ3e
A pull.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yPZHH2zix
Rip.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBCU6ROgXS
RIP.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNXA9NExoi
I'm dead.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QbRtwD50I
In bed.
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECANUwKszq
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTk0YSybbCG
?
785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTMpcSuXan
THE Rain Has Fallen.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYopZzgzhv6
No. That's not it.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkS0iHOsxlN
They Came After The Rain.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMwquPMsjL
There it is.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6PpfYJzCc
That's the one.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuB7v9yfhH
The end.
ns216.73.216.25da2 No. That's not it.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkS0iHOsxlN
They Came After The Rain.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMwquPMsjL
There it is.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6PpfYJzCc
That's the one.785Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuB7v9yfhH
The end.
