These short stories were written during a period of two months when I was 15, in 1989. I still follow a pattern of writing during the months of November and December, but I never have been as creative as this period of my life. The above photos were taken when I received 1^st and 2^nd place in the multi-school competition for the Calgary Area. I was in grade 10, the rest of the entrants were in grades 11 and 12. The following day I was taken to the principal’s office for stealing software from the school. Over the following few months, I left school completely, left home, moved to Kamloops and became the next part of myself.

 

I doubt I could ever write anything like this again, and am very glad that these stories survived my tumultuous youth. At the time I was reading a LOT of Stephen King, and was wearing lots of black and stealing from cars as I delivered the morning paper. I am not proud of that time of my life, but in retrospect I understand why I was doing the things I did. Living isolated and persecuted by your peers can create several outcomes, including Gang Mentality which is very common now, and Isolationism which both breed the need for retribution, arson, violence, and theft.

 

I was very lucky to walk through these times without using any hard drugs. I guess I was nieve, but while my “friends” were shooting junk I was oblivious to what was going on, figuring they just did too much acid. I suppose, in retrospect, that my nievity was what saved my life.