747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuP7A5zY3yf
-
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2hdxdJAKg
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oovSfG48F
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84Vc2vZ2kf
1747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TFpYmzAGS
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrutdJeaKD
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrutdJeaKD
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpt4YrkdeJA
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxmCMHjpOp
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCAB6Xpfqm
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApSz4bb0qG
"Yeah."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT9WYymj37
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjK2eF8xGF
"Something you want to talk about?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdag1dQKLMt
"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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjS4ZYXYeFN
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfnHKqBxMM
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNll6Yn6SYe
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtar1jcjW38
I consider the offer. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8SfJO4u5Z
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApff54yd87
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSWaKHvDE8
"Good. Go to sleep."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJErpraxKR
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuAfMsIvMg
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SLL7MnRaA
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Vzj2vTerHDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCAB6Xpfqm
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApSz4bb0qG
"Yeah."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT9WYymj37
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjK2eF8xGF
"Something you want to talk about?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdag1dQKLMt
"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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjS4ZYXYeFN
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfnHKqBxMM
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNll6Yn6SYe
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtar1jcjW38
I consider the offer. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8SfJO4u5Z
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApff54yd87
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSWaKHvDE8
"Good. Go to sleep."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJErpraxKR
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuAfMsIvMg
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7SLL7MnRaA
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeAU9v2wC0W
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Kx3Q4eDK4
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Kx3Q4eDK4
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bg6VU5kGU
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F7cFYXXxx
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmEPgBb9DW
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivTwXfI1b5
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1ctSEyjhS
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LfXAG5qz7
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaB0xi8NO0N
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHgwvCu2af
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV5Omkex6X
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrODR7VI0fe
"Drugs," he says cryptically.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYbb9xiZmF
"Hmm?" I ask.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8DLzGHFwy
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplAg3KLcSc
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmFTx0DsJC
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?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugTIT6WHR8
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJw75EEyfr7
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfwcbgCToo
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmDEWdtPUN
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiJHKG4BnZ
"So, how long are you?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6157Fsccch
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5maiN0CMCj
"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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBFuZ7HIvz
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F7cFYXXxx
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmEPgBb9DW
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivTwXfI1b5
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1ctSEyjhS
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LfXAG5qz7
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaB0xi8NO0N
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHgwvCu2af
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV5Omkex6X
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrODR7VI0fe
"Drugs," he says cryptically.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpYbb9xiZmF
"Hmm?" I ask.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8DLzGHFwy
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplAg3KLcSc
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmFTx0DsJC
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?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugTIT6WHR8
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJw75EEyfr7
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqfwcbgCToo
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmDEWdtPUN
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiJHKG4BnZ
"So, how long are you?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6157Fsccch
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5maiN0CMCj
"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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBFuZ7HIvz
Bitch.
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlQEVX2ABL
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBpZxgDynD
3747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceovkRUeB9
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav3HbiUZJD
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav3HbiUZJD
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gNmCzVf4i
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELMRDZUZkB
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdZhGEWVT2
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwB2wc0FRxF
Some nerve.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2osWKspMQ
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfifFiqGKfI
Never mind.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVOvWqWhq1
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfZWyRnp31
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXj7tVIKQc
The door swings open.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6tXYQTGua
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN681IXG0uU
"Hello."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3yx3OM8VL
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzoXtH0cuy
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqMRU26KkN
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jTHshjZgg
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOwofuKIlx
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPWu1rwWok
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEuJtR2gTw
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqqnUcccUQ
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmulPN97Ur
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zLnRGftLI
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEUaYVDsnH
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeE7GbS8rth
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELMRDZUZkB
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdZhGEWVT2
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwB2wc0FRxF
Some nerve.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2osWKspMQ
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfifFiqGKfI
Never mind.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVOvWqWhq1
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxfZWyRnp31
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXj7tVIKQc
The door swings open.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6tXYQTGua
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN681IXG0uU
"Hello."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3yx3OM8VL
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzoXtH0cuy
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqMRU26KkN
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jTHshjZgg
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOwofuKIlx
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPWu1rwWok
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEuJtR2gTw
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqqnUcccUQ
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmulPN97Ur
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zLnRGftLI
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEUaYVDsnH
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeE7GbS8rth
Huh. Funny dat.
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLplqOP5oj1
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCM7pmu41w3
4
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuS7IOfvA4z
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?747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DwvMFqlyT
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj7EAbwtWB
"Hey, Nick."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnlQch1iro
"Hey, Mike."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CBLksONav
"What's good?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCLbREALSD
"Not much," he says with a sigh.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssfldNas4j
"How come?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFCsPmrdrG
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70Wg1RqNgR
"Where?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW36OYTh7K
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSMz0m3N6z
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflrSdVpDz5
"Who's he?" I ask.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjASP1A1kS
"Stanley," Wannabe says.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFdIiUCsRL
"Oh."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGC1ZiStjw
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PPkv1NZlg
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1m7CHlnDGJ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j4IOnCBnD
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZeLpZEqKH
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK4SZTt1Kx
"Mike."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl7F5bIR5D
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmFRk1239W
I keep my yap shut.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPQRn8Res0
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxeD5CD5pu
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIEskPh819
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E8ztroeK4
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgpVwZjgqV
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ptZvQGdZ7
"Like what? LSD?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOqrNpZtCh
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMF8lxZJy8
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrfaE3uvwL
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA6gtt3SEY
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!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSQGbisruV
Everything changes then.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlLi1KrP8a
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkCLRO8hmN
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKA4E8UQjp
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV7BqwshgK
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjfBtOwXq9
No one listens. They laugh.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLGZOhETPM
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!747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B0Q9yHTn9
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV7dzunekj
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho1xP6QqUr
A pull.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdI57Z6xg9S
Rip.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZyHgJ0jqX
RIP.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmo16zaz5X
I'm dead.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuunUDmKTi
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDj7EAbwtWB
"Hey, Nick."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnlQch1iro
"Hey, Mike."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CBLksONav
"What's good?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCLbREALSD
"Not much," he says with a sigh.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssfldNas4j
"How come?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFCsPmrdrG
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70Wg1RqNgR
"Where?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaW36OYTh7K
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSMz0m3N6z
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflrSdVpDz5
"Who's he?" I ask.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsjASP1A1kS
"Stanley," Wannabe says.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFdIiUCsRL
"Oh."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaGC1ZiStjw
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PPkv1NZlg
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1m7CHlnDGJ
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0j4IOnCBnD
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZeLpZEqKH
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVK4SZTt1Kx
"Mike."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl7F5bIR5D
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmFRk1239W
I keep my yap shut.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPQRn8Res0
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxeD5CD5pu
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIEskPh819
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E8ztroeK4
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKgpVwZjgqV
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ptZvQGdZ7
"Like what? LSD?"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOqrNpZtCh
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMF8lxZJy8
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrfaE3uvwL
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRA6gtt3SEY
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!"747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSQGbisruV
Everything changes then.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlLi1KrP8a
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkCLRO8hmN
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKA4E8UQjp
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNV7BqwshgK
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjfBtOwXq9
No one listens. They laugh.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLGZOhETPM
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!747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B0Q9yHTn9
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV7dzunekj
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.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡho1xP6QqUr
A pull.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdI57Z6xg9S
Rip.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZyHgJ0jqX
RIP.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmo16zaz5X
I'm dead.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuunUDmKTi
In bed.
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb08lFdts8x
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32koey6zxI
?
747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoYwAlW2AY
THE Rain Has Fallen.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzGDDCnJGF
No. That's not it.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtaSJYeInf
They Came After The Rain.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoa5zEIDsn
There it is.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpUL54twlt
That's the one.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLpNE7fyEu
The end.
ns216.73.216.205da2 No. That's not it.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtaSJYeInf
They Came After The Rain.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoa5zEIDsn
There it is.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWpUL54twlt
That's the one.747Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLpNE7fyEu
The end.
