The First In A Long History Of Injustices

Sharon was proud of all the drugs she'd done. Enough drugs to supply a hospital or fund a revolution in Eastern Europe. Enough drugs that her memories of the last seven years had melted together like the rainbow of candle wax she'd made for her fifth grade science fair.

Sharon still thought of herself as the hero in her fucked-up drama of a life. At the meetings she occasionally attended, they preached shedding your ego. They preached a lot of nonsense.

Sharon did not win that science fair, an injustice she still clings to even in her most lucid moments.

Depression

The doctor was explaining how behavioral changes are just as likely to cure my depression as drugs.

“Has it occurred to you doctor, that I ought to be depressed, because I'm living a meaningless life?”

“Yes, but I wasn’t going to say it.” Then he saw I wasn’t joking.

“The truth is, I feel just about right for my situation,” I said.

“I don’t tell people how they ought to feel. If they come here, it’s because they think there’s something wrong.”

I didn’t reply.

“So you want me to increase your dosage then?”

It was easier to say yes.

From Guest Contributor Thomas Vicinanzo

Impressions

“Ugh, Dad you cannot send me to that school!” I squealed.

“Why Samantha? It looks lovely there.”

“It is on that terrible estate where children smoke drugs and lose their virginity at twelve years old.”

“You don’t even know the name of that estate, Sam,” my Dad challenged.

A wave of silence flooded the room. My Dad huffed, walked over to the bookshelf, picked up Hamlet and opened it to page twenty-six.

“Come here Sam and look at this page very closely, but don’t read the words. Read between the lines. What do you see?”

I hesitated. I saw nothing.

From Guest Contributor Joshua Wallis

Joshua is a home-school student from the United kingdom, who loathed reading literature until recently! He is looking forward to reading works of great novelists and insightful 100-word stories in the coming years.

The Ironies Of Doing Drugs

I'd never smoked marijuana before and I never imagined it would be so difficult.

First everyone kept telling me how dangerous it was. It would sap all my will power. I'd become a stoner.

Then, there was no place for me to buy any. It was legal in some states but in Philadelphia, no one knew where I could score some.

Finally, I found a dealer, but he wouldn't sell any to me. "You look like a good kid. Why don't you go home?"

I've done heroin plenty of times and this guy won't sell me a bag of weed!

Side Effects

The instruction on the bottle was clear: Don't fall asleep or you will die!

Lesley had no choice but to do everything possible to stay awake. She started with caffeine, loud music, and hourly callisthenics. Then she moved into harder drugs, inflicting pain on herself, and ice cold showers. By now, 48 hours had passed, and she began to wonder if she wouldn't die anyway. You could only go so long without sleep.

Eventually she succumbed to the sweet embrace of slumber. When she awoke the next morning, her schizophrenia medication had finally taken effect and her delusions were forgotten.