746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DdWlXI9bV
-
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdm6SZIIBz6
DREAMS don't make sense. Yes, they do. No, they don't. Here, I'll prove it to you.
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBMsYKXF22
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yGeUutRM4
1746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBOht35VZq0
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHXF973Tnc
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHXF973Tnc
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ14oNy0zXw
I'M in the living room, sitting on the couch with my father, watching Corner Gas reruns on the TV. So far, so normal. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡey2L0EfGy8
Dad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArDMs8Y1XJ
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6VQkYOQv7
"Yeah."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRoBhvU4G9
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgke93kU4C9
"Something you want to talk about?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNLY558DE0
"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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn83uJMt5of
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwLQcL598e
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUziCEVBJD8
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVM6nOLNbKg
I consider the offer. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN32jdeI8b
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5OJ3CtNjL
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TZVY3SRXZ
"Good. Go to sleep."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZi2AHbH35
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhEwbxTeKc
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQim3PlOPoJ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk8M5qqQrkFDad turns to me and says, "You look sleepy. Mike. You've got a vein on your forehead."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArDMs8Y1XJ
"Oh, yeah? Bizarre."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6VQkYOQv7
"Yeah."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWRoBhvU4G9
"Ponderous, father," I say. "Simply ponderous."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgke93kU4C9
"Something you want to talk about?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNLY558DE0
"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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn83uJMt5of
"I know," Dad says. "You're fading away."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwLQcL598e
"I know," I say. "It isn't fair."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUziCEVBJD8
"Maybe you should go to sleep," Dad offers.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVM6nOLNbKg
I consider the offer. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN32jdeI8b
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5OJ3CtNjL
I say, "You know what? Maybe you're right. I am tired."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1TZVY3SRXZ
"Good. Go to sleep."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZi2AHbH35
Suddenly, the mirror me is no more. Vanished. Into thin air. Into nothingness. I've faded away.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhEwbxTeKc
"I'm gone!" I say, not trying in the slightest to keep the astonishment out of my voice.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQim3PlOPoJ
Dad says, "That's what you get, Mike. You're dead."
2746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbyNKNgOzj
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoSg0iJ1zv
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoSg0iJ1zv
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uFuO2BowC
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCNwWO6wNg
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRExiIeRoE
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQVQB5mQB7
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0AzvcN4a8
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKFJvJExIt
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcZTcULDug
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUp6MPG8T5
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1VgJlVsrJ
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFuTatw6IO
"Drugs," he says cryptically.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTNa1rkqWl
"Hmm?" I ask.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBftT4xIOav
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwDnIG1XCw
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiZDUOzFoY
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?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjvzmH0sWW
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpozxXvnM7I
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyNelmP4e2
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjBYwSABeO
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoW6pnNInHz
"So, how long are you?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCSMpMzNha
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UneR2PqiD
"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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZzDctBS4u
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCNwWO6wNg
"Prick!" says my old friend Brandon from behind. "God damned Russian prick!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRExiIeRoE
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQVQB5mQB7
The doll takes the abuse admirably, if I do say so. It doesn't even make a peep.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0AzvcN4a8
"That's what you get for hitting my sister! Potato water–drinker! Snow-sucker! Filth! Rubbish! Filth!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKFJvJExIt
I'm confused. The more Brandon talks, the less Brandon sounds like Brandon.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcZTcULDug
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUp6MPG8T5
"Filth! Rubbish! Filth!" is heard amidst cheers of "You get 'em, Branflakes!" and "Go, you!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1VgJlVsrJ
I shake my head and roll my eyes just as Brandon's dad, Brian, walks by.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFuTatw6IO
"Drugs," he says cryptically.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTNa1rkqWl
"Hmm?" I ask.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBftT4xIOav
"You heard me. Get out!" he screams, pointing to the front door.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwDnIG1XCw
I ignore him and he walks onward, sitting in a rocking chair where he begins to knit an ugly ball of yarn.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiZDUOzFoY
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?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjvzmH0sWW
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpozxXvnM7I
"I've been writing," I say, growing excited. I'm starved for human contact and connections.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyNelmP4e2
"Oh yeah? Like a novel?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjBYwSABeO
"I wish. No. I've been working on one but I haven't finished it yet. Short stories, I guess."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoW6pnNInHz
"So, how long are you?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCSMpMzNha
"I dunno. 14 pages, I think?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UneR2PqiD
"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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZzDctBS4u
Bitch.
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7tOIo7XSf
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv62Dv6x6ex
3746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7qoG9X1U7
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzZjbL2LjY
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzZjbL2LjY
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwALIQ53KAY
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxvtLyqB0c
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84XIoo5eDD
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbu8EbFjGht
Some nerve.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDMSSF8u8B
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLL5aueaI8Y
Never mind.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwBIUnabpi
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj9zjyOHrs
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFAQiJc0oa
The door swings open.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OGbKxwL7H
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWOMceVdG2
"Hello."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLPJzBd2rG
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDjZHjTTCx
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcKdE6zWac
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS1vfhugEs
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJTHBTY9mw
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTZZqOQc7P
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnmRUM587m
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtS4bcm5SSO
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQEL6mqrfc
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxf1wsdH4YC
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgek5MymYHw
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGDhSxNrag
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxvtLyqB0c
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84XIoo5eDD
Ginger is disturbed. Bear is perturbed.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbu8EbFjGht
Some nerve.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDMSSF8u8B
I crash into my chair. Time to relax.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLL5aueaI8Y
Never mind.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwBIUnabpi
There's a knock at the door. Who could it be?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj9zjyOHrs
I go to answer it. Two girls. Blonde Sarah. Brunette Fiona. What the hell do they want?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFAQiJc0oa
The door swings open.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OGbKxwL7H
"Heeeeey!" I hear both girls say.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWOMceVdG2
"Hello."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLPJzBd2rG
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDjZHjTTCx
"Abuse! Abuse!" they say.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcKdE6zWac
"What in the steamed hobo scarves are you two talking about?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS1vfhugEs
"Abuse! Dogs, cats, food, poop!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJTHBTY9mw
Anger rising. Rage-foam forming at the corners of my mouth. Feel my hands tremble. What is this?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTZZqOQc7P
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnmRUM587m
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" they squeal. "Abuse!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtS4bcm5SSO
Grab for the nearest shoulder. Spin the girl around. Speak into her face, "There's no abuse here."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQEL6mqrfc
Fiona cringes and backs away. Sarah and her exit the house.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxf1wsdH4YC
Wonder what sent them packing. My breath, perhaps? I ponder such trivialities as I return to my chair.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgek5MymYHw
I gaze into the reflection of my mouse. I'm dressed like Spider-Man.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGDhSxNrag
Huh. Funny dat.
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXu4P6XMoJd
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgGtJxCGnMs
4
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTh7yOXvYSG
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?746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpAWSWq6Ky
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMx9ZV4WBK
"Hey, Nick."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPCTIgQDcQ
"Hey, Mike."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXpilvnBr0
"What's good?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgdtueI3rX
"Not much," he says with a sigh.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkmnmr5SXE
"How come?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVwB55iBQZ
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvv2Bk7qLn
"Where?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCXBfyLbyM
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoqTCHwSV8
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFTQrcgXg2
"Who's he?" I ask.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIv1UKR4Wx
"Stanley," Wannabe says.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82aTadSqHm
"Oh."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgSg1sHrsr
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwvRDw5SMG
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuQp58co42
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlEZL3Wpxz
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lDEBA6Rlr
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaKmbyCQMn
"Mike."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnABZqe5uLR
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw75YULdRms
I keep my yap shut.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8h8PjlZnX
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzYgjI9W1c
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GVaBuia2k
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwJfwjSRIg
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO56ZF8IBag
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvjf5h4qxs
"Like what? LSD?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pwNM2Nv6T
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBhIYXu13p
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsxZfBoPwN
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tf6stV7W8
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!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXge9dbk6f
Everything changes then.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgMTnlgHOq
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsNxHRp7Fs
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvot7k6rwHA
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxpxmaSSQ0
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnTM0IlZSU
No one listens. They laugh.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOsU2IMLfl
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!746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIe6pGm4xIn
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJEx9E9Sav
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIJOwxl2Mp
A pull.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB6VTSvsVZ
Rip.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWnHzz8WTE
RIP.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnAn3bJ2NH
I'm dead.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGDh6CWlIj
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMx9ZV4WBK
"Hey, Nick."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPCTIgQDcQ
"Hey, Mike."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXpilvnBr0
"What's good?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgdtueI3rX
"Not much," he says with a sigh.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkmnmr5SXE
"How come?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVwB55iBQZ
"Trouble is coming." He casts paranoid glances around and around.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvv2Bk7qLn
"Where?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCXBfyLbyM
"There." Nick aims a finger to my right, past my shoulder. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoqTCHwSV8
Some wannabe-badass teen who walks from the portable classrooms to where Nick and I are standing. Under the sycamore tree.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFTQrcgXg2
"Who's he?" I ask.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIv1UKR4Wx
"Stanley," Wannabe says.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82aTadSqHm
"Oh."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgSg1sHrsr
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwvRDw5SMG
I knew a tirade was coming. I was right.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuQp58co42
"Becky says I can't smoke my Camels anymore. Dumb bitch. I smoke what I want to smoke. I'm hard."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlEZL3Wpxz
Nick nods but doesn't say anything. I follow suit.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1lDEBA6Rlr
Stanley looks at me with contempt. "Who the shit are you?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaKmbyCQMn
"Mike."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnABZqe5uLR
"Yeah, well, I'm hard, Mike. Harder than you, okay?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw75YULdRms
I keep my yap shut.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8h8PjlZnX
"Yeah, I'm hard, alright. I'm the baddest kid around." Stanley takes a long drag off his cigarette.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnzYgjI9W1c
He is a kid, alright. I say nothing.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GVaBuia2k
Stanley offers the smoke to Nick, who declines.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwJfwjSRIg
"Alright, bitch. Suit yourself." Another pull.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO56ZF8IBag
"Anything in that thing?" I ask him.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbvjf5h4qxs
"Like what? LSD?"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pwNM2Nv6T
Sarcasm. Or maybe just stupid. Acid is destroyed at burning temperature. "No. Weed," I say.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBhIYXu13p
"I don't smoke that shit, bro. Not yet."746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsxZfBoPwN
I laugh. What a badass. Wannabe badass. Plans his drug-induced future. What. When. Where. Why. How. Please.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tf6stV7W8
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!"746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXge9dbk6f
Everything changes then.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQgMTnlgHOq
Kids come scurrying out of every hideaway hole and hovel imaginable.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsNxHRp7Fs
Stanley gives me a hard shove. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvot7k6rwHA
I fall on my ass, quickly get to my feet and try to run.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxpxmaSSQ0
Too many kids. In the way. "Move!" I say. 746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnTM0IlZSU
No one listens. They laugh.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOsU2IMLfl
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!746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIe6pGm4xIn
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJEx9E9Sav
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.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIJOwxl2Mp
A pull.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdB6VTSvsVZ
Rip.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWnHzz8WTE
RIP.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnAn3bJ2NH
I'm dead.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGDh6CWlIj
In bed.
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouaBagM8B3
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LxfXJCtj9
?
746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZDFMP2o7l
THE Rain Has Fallen.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydk14NmM39
No. That's not it.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3WBA8PHkn
They Came After The Rain.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2xYTJwEZM
There it is.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbT01oIkBX
That's the one.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1goS5pxoDb
The end.
ns3.147.68.89da2 No. That's not it.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3WBA8PHkn
They Came After The Rain.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL2xYTJwEZM
There it is.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbT01oIkBX
That's the one.746Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1goS5pxoDb
The end.
