Author's Note

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I started this story in 2017. A fan of Gorillaz since first seeing Clint Eastwood on MTV, I have loved their music for the whole of my life. I hope that love can be felt in this story.

Dents is not an easy read, nor was it easy to write. In order to fully capture the essence of pain in this story, I had to go to some dark places. I had to think on some dark things. I do not feel that the story would truly have been worthwhile without including the pain and subsequent growth of its characters. Even though our traumas shape us, they should not define us.

In particular, I wanted to touch on a topic that is very important to me.

There are an estimated twenty four million victims of human trafficking at any given time worldwide. Crimes of exploitation are some of the most horrific that we face in modern day society. At the time of writing, there are a recorded 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1,000 people in the world. Nearly three quarters of these victims are women. On a global scale, traffickers profit an estimated $150 billion a year.

These crimes can happen to anyone. They are happening right now to human beings in any given region in the world.

It is crucially important to recognize the signs of potential human trafficking, and to report those tips to the proper authorities in your respective country. 

https://humantraffickinghotline.org/human-trafficking/recognizing-signs

If you see a suspicious situation fitting the above criteria, please take the time to report this to the appropriate hotline.

If you are in the United States, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, text help to BEFREE (233733) or email help@humantraffickinghotline.org.

If you are in England, call the authorities at 999. If you'd prefer to stay anonymous, you can instead contact Crimestoppers at 0800-555-111.

While the protagonist's story is fictional, it is a fiction based in reality. We must create a world of dignity for everyone and stop these crimes before they happen. If you have the ability, please consider donating to a trusted charity organization to fight back against modern day slavery, such as Not For Sale or the National Center for Missing And Exploited Children.

https://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
https://www.missingkids.org/HOME

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

The Author

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