709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWjsf5wdqI
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709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAtPzIDACl
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
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1709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G8EWoxS0J
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pHAwLqLXr
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pHAwLqLXr
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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. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7LU2TEMWn
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNyHRXQmE6
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNFtjL62dq
"Yeah."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSwXRZsYfp
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79Ufoo2Mkw
"Something you want to talk about?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvKeoxmHxt
"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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KVSiY1b5F
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3QWnxihxB
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3rwQRS1UW
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xIUSSC3cp
I consider the offer. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYWkeXkjcK
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuK0mHXajoK
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uOpix6CFN
"Good. Go to sleep."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyMJeGZx9k
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOae7zIXQ2W
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxUqmmbans
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfDH0q6FjNDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNyHRXQmE6
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNFtjL62dq
"Yeah."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSwXRZsYfp
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79Ufoo2Mkw
"Something you want to talk about?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvKeoxmHxt
"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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KVSiY1b5F
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3QWnxihxB
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3rwQRS1UW
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8xIUSSC3cp
I consider the offer. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYWkeXkjcK
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuK0mHXajoK
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uOpix6CFN
"Good. Go to sleep."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyMJeGZx9k
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOae7zIXQ2W
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxUqmmbans
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAngliJBKTm
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzcC4ltvLD
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzcC4ltvLD
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYCXZwcFdE
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQAPhsOd1e
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh33CXwG8Rd
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7G95HVWzs
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPl7HLZRjJ
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX7kDjw2N4
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUoa2zfD0f
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lXLYXLYQi
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M8f3CbF6P
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNKqAqrpdV
"Drugs," he says cryptically.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtstNNRZIFj
"Hmm?" I ask.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KdSZS8Hvt
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGk7n4bLcW
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQRatMAiI6
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?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyy5kanBYb4
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCsPvQkKuS
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTA0IZshiQ
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A4fFXcukS
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mP0exCaaD
"So, how long are you?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUkQqVkefP
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlSu0Ksx5E
"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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jAJoQMZHO
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQAPhsOd1e
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh33CXwG8Rd
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7G95HVWzs
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPl7HLZRjJ
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSX7kDjw2N4
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUoa2zfD0f
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lXLYXLYQi
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6M8f3CbF6P
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNKqAqrpdV
"Drugs," he says cryptically.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtstNNRZIFj
"Hmm?" I ask.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KdSZS8Hvt
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGk7n4bLcW
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQRatMAiI6
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?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyy5kanBYb4
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCsPvQkKuS
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTA0IZshiQ
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A4fFXcukS
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mP0exCaaD
"So, how long are you?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUkQqVkefP
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQlSu0Ksx5E
"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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jAJoQMZHO
Bitch.
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdpDAaJtR4
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGekTVmzO55
3709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX9GVglf0D
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709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMjwWPuEXN
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh53RkYu1W
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTijnZDndP
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXIJzm4rHI
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyStYAHmxJv
Some nerve.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv05RJ3MoRo
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwtMhSnOun
Never mind.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3hXuy8F3x
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3HhcGMpWh
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiSYhh6S5r
The door swings open.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4a9iP464fO
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUdYDGOWPS
"Hello."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIY5q7pZ7CI
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5dQ58KNhy
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sHJUVOKXt
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeoavvQJ9H
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q592hSKEw
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQXE0a62DB
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6piSUv5eP
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YldoKrZe8
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AKtsGS350
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡds6sXfkEQF
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaEbOuqfZz
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDhzBt4Ilk
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTijnZDndP
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXIJzm4rHI
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyStYAHmxJv
Some nerve.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv05RJ3MoRo
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwtMhSnOun
Never mind.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3hXuy8F3x
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3HhcGMpWh
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiSYhh6S5r
The door swings open.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4a9iP464fO
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUdYDGOWPS
"Hello."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIY5q7pZ7CI
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5dQ58KNhy
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sHJUVOKXt
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoeoavvQJ9H
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q592hSKEw
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQXE0a62DB
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6piSUv5eP
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YldoKrZe8
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1AKtsGS350
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡds6sXfkEQF
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaEbOuqfZz
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDhzBt4Ilk
Huh. Funny dat.
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0sq7QGvJX7
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4
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzne8UdC0v
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?709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmyXVUym1E
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMfVZzQCuM
"Hey, Nick."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqZ8Xo7uZw
"Hey, Mike."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfEcgklbdl
"What's good?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWmOzjElvn
"Not much," he says with a sigh.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK6XibbVyQ
"How come?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKClzRlu0s
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4QRes85cy
"Where?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY83I0dtGx
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOHkJjbk9j
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pC84s04ko
"Who's he?" I ask.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVpozwcB6w
"Stanley," Wannabe says.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3HgErVA4L
"Oh."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP0uhyCv2T
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXYCxFdgQY
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGbEghz8P8
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUe3WU8Jz7g
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2opJGdBzCW
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMb6koQ691
"Mike."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVQBVX1bHb
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwD2C7YGbh
I keep my yap shut.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf6RnaOpFT
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR485k1lRx
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlVsjut4SI
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTTFmbBKFI
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZ3J2jB34g
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOtsEpacfm
"Like what? LSD?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGQ8s5TBwM
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6FVXdRHnp
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bFxH9y0Ox
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqmJ0wSEuC
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!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVlkn5yWmv
Everything changes then.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtV8apDrzQN
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIG6gJIS4dr
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDkuRYqjmX
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWB1cB0jYuT
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLPt77DBRT
No one listens. They laugh.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdXPajRaSg
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!709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMgzez4EYA
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMqnsCINN7
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0JzqNcxUx
A pull.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFrvE7z4RE
Rip.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF9HDYUaz1
RIP.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFRB0gEeKM
I'm dead.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEdGqGjDQb
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMfVZzQCuM
"Hey, Nick."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqZ8Xo7uZw
"Hey, Mike."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpfEcgklbdl
"What's good?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWmOzjElvn
"Not much," he says with a sigh.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK6XibbVyQ
"How come?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKClzRlu0s
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4QRes85cy
"Where?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY83I0dtGx
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOHkJjbk9j
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2pC84s04ko
"Who's he?" I ask.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpVpozwcB6w
"Stanley," Wannabe says.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3HgErVA4L
"Oh."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNP0uhyCv2T
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXYCxFdgQY
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGbEghz8P8
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUe3WU8Jz7g
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2opJGdBzCW
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMb6koQ691
"Mike."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVQBVX1bHb
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwD2C7YGbh
I keep my yap shut.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTf6RnaOpFT
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpR485k1lRx
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlVsjut4SI
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTTFmbBKFI
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZ3J2jB34g
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOtsEpacfm
"Like what? LSD?"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGQ8s5TBwM
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6FVXdRHnp
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bFxH9y0Ox
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqmJ0wSEuC
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!"709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVlkn5yWmv
Everything changes then.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtV8apDrzQN
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIG6gJIS4dr
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDkuRYqjmX
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWB1cB0jYuT
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLPt77DBRT
No one listens. They laugh.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdXPajRaSg
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!709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMgzez4EYA
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMqnsCINN7
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.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0JzqNcxUx
A pull.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVFrvE7z4RE
Rip.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeF9HDYUaz1
RIP.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFRB0gEeKM
I'm dead.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEdGqGjDQb
In bed.
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFZVW14ROi
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvUVaBSnIGj
?
709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OVFYAtxMR
THE Rain Has Fallen.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2YrYfdncy
No. That's not it.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhdy5luGx6
They Came After The Rain.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOD1xxIojUg
There it is.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR3K74s7hb
That's the one.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LBZkIuuGs
The end.
ns18.191.171.26da2 No. That's not it.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhdy5luGx6
They Came After The Rain.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOD1xxIojUg
There it is.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR3K74s7hb
That's the one.709Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LBZkIuuGs
The end.
