¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ &¨&¨&¨&&&&
&¨¨&&¨&&¨¨ ¨&&&&&&¨¨¨
&&¨&¨&&¨&¨ ¨&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨
&¨&&&&¨&&& &&&¨¨¨¨&&¨
&&&¨¨¨&&¨¨ &¨¨&¨¨¨&¨&
¨¨¨&¨¨&¨&¨ ^†~~~~~...¨ ¨...~~~~~†^ ¨&¨&&¨¨&&&
&¨¨&&¨&&&& ^ ^ &&&&¨&¨&¨¨
&&¨&¨&&¨¨¨ ^ MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF ^ ¨¨¨¨&&&&&¨
&¨&&&&¨&¨¨ ^ ^ &¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨&&&¨ ^†~~~~~...¨ ¨...~~~~~†^ ¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨&
&&¨&¨¨&¨¨& ¨&&¨&¨&¨¨&
¨¨&&&¨&&¨& ¨&¨&&&&&¨&
&¨&¨¨&&¨&& I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING ¨&&&¨¨¨¨&&
¨&&&¨&¨&&¨ CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND &&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨¨&&&&¨& TRUSTED CAR, AND SOMETIMES MY MOTHERS ¨¨&¨&&¨¨&&
&&&¨&¨¨¨&& BARN. WE LIVED JUST OUTSIDE TOWN, A &¨&&&¨&¨&¨
&¨¨&&&¨¨&¨ GROVE AT THE END OF A DIRT ROAD, AND ¨&&¨¨&&&&&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&& THE BARN WAS PLACED SO YOU COULD JUST ¨&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨
¨&&&&¨&&&¨ MAKE OUT THE SURROUNDING FIELDS THROUGH ¨&&&&&&¨¨¨
¨&¨¨¨&&¨¨& THE TREES. &&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&&¨¨&¨&¨& ¨¨&¨¨¨¨&&¨
¨&¨&¨&&&&& MY CAR WAS BLACK AND LOUD, BOTH THE ¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨&
&&&&&&¨¨¨¨ ENGINE AND THE WAY THE PARTS DIDN'T &¨&¨&¨¨&&&
¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ REALLY STICK TOGETHER. I TOOK MY ¨&&&&&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ CRIMEFRIEND FOR RIDES, IN THE DARK, THE &&¨¨¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨ ETERNAL DARK THAT SEEMED TO SURROUND ¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨¨&&&& US. SHE SEEMED TO CAST THIS VEIL OVER ¨¨&&¨¨&&¨&
¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ EVERYTHING. HER BLACK SKIRT REACHED TO &¨&¨&¨&¨&&
&&&¨¨¨&&¨¨ HER KNEES BUT THEN SOMEHOW ALSO BACK &&&&&&&&&¨
&¨¨&¨¨&¨&¨ AROUND, ENVELOPING ALL MY MEMORIES OF ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨&&¨&&&& OUR TIME TOGETHER. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&&&&¨&&¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨¨¨¨&&¨&¨¨ THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE. SOMETIMES ¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&¨¨¨&¨&&&¨ THE BLOOD WAS HER RED LIPSTICK OR HER ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨¨&&&¨¨& CHECKERED SHIRT. SHE WAS ON TELEVISION. ¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨&
&&&¨&¨¨&¨& WE DID CRIME, AND WE MADE WEIRD ¨&&&&¨¨¨¨&
¨¨¨&&&¨&&& STRUCTURES IN THE BARN, TALL PILLARS OF ¨&¨¨¨&¨¨¨&
&¨¨&¨¨&&¨¨ DARK WOOD, LADDERS AND PLATEAUS, FIRES ¨&&¨¨&&¨¨&
¨&¨&&¨&¨&¨ AND FAIRY LIGHTS. WE WOULD SLEEP THERE &&¨&¨&¨&¨&
&&&&¨&&&&& AND DRINK THERE AND SHE WOULD GO IN THE &¨&&&&&&&&
¨¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨ TELEVISION. ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨&¨&¨¨¨ &&¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&&&¨¨ AND THEN THE SUN CAME OUT, AND SHE WENT &¨&&&¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨&¨ AWAY. EVERYTHING CHANGED... I YEARNED, &&&¨¨&¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&¨¨&& AND THE WORLD BECAME DULL AROUND ME. &¨¨&¨&&¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨&¨&¨&¨ ¨&¨&&&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨&&&&&& I STOPPED DOING CRIME, EXCEPT WHEN ¨&&&¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨ NECESSARRY. THINGS SOMEHOW SEEMED LIKE &&¨¨&¨&¨¨&
&¨¨¨&&¨¨¨¨ THEY WERE ALLRIGHT, MOULDED IN PLACE, &¨&¨&&&&¨&
¨&¨¨&¨&¨¨¨ AND I LOATHED IT ------ I MISSED HER &&&&&¨¨¨&&
&&&¨&&&&¨¨ SO MUCH. ¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨&¨
&¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨ &¨¨¨¨&&¨&&
¨&¨&¨&¨¨&& &&¨¨¨&¨&&¨
¨&&&&&&¨&¨ ~~~~~..¨ ¨..~~~~~ ¨¨&¨¨&&&¨&
&&¨¨¨¨¨&&& ¨¨&&¨&¨¨&&
¨¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ &¨&¨&&&¨&¨
¨¨&&¨¨¨&&¨ I SEARCHED FOR HER, BUT NOBODY HAD ANY &&&&&¨¨&&&
&¨&¨&¨¨&¨& MEMORIES OF HER. NOT SO MUCH OF ME &¨¨¨¨&¨&¨¨
&&&&&&¨&&& EITHER, FROM THE TIME WE WERE TOGETHER. &&¨¨¨&&&&¨
&¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ MY MOTHER SAID I KEPT TO MYSELF IN THE &¨&¨¨&¨¨¨&
¨&¨¨¨¨&¨&¨ BARN, OR IN THE CAR. ¨&&&¨&&¨¨&
&&&¨¨¨&&&& &&¨¨&&¨&¨&
¨¨¨&¨¨&¨¨¨ SOMETIMES I COULD STILL SEE HER &¨&¨&¨&&&&
&¨¨&&¨&&¨¨ FLASHING BY ON THE TV IN THE BARN. ¨&&&&&&¨¨¨
&&¨&¨&&¨&¨ EVERYTHING WAS BLACK THEN, FOR A ¨&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨
&¨&&&&¨&&& MOMENT. I REMEMBERED HER LAUGH AND KNEW &&&¨¨¨¨&&¨
&&&¨¨¨&&¨¨ WE HAD DONE CRIMES TOGETHER, THAT IT &¨¨&¨¨¨&¨&
¨¨¨&¨¨&¨&¨ HAD BEEN REAL... ¨&¨&&¨¨&&&
&¨¨&&¨&&&& &&&&¨&¨&¨¨
&&¨&¨&&¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨&&&&&¨
&¨&&&&¨&¨¨ ~~~~~..¨ ¨..~~~~~ &¨¨¨&¨¨¨¨&
¨&&¨¨¨&&&¨ ¨&¨¨&&¨¨¨&
&&¨&¨¨&¨¨& ¨&&¨&¨&¨¨&
¨¨&&&¨&&¨& I DIED BY GETTING SHOT IN THE HEAD ¨&¨&&&&&¨&
&¨&¨¨&&¨&& WHILE RAMMING THE FENCE TO A MILITARY ¨&&&¨¨¨¨&&
¨&&&¨&¨&&¨ FACILITY. BY THIS TIME THEY HAD BEEN &&¨¨&¨¨¨&¨
¨&¨¨&&&&¨& CHASING ME FOR DAYS. I LOST CONTROL ¨¨&¨&&¨¨&&
&&&¨&¨¨¨&& OVER THE CAR, CRASHED IT INTO A ROCK &¨&&&¨&¨&¨
&¨¨&&&¨¨&¨ WALL AND FLEW OUT THE WINDSHIELD. ¨&&¨¨&&&&&
¨&¨&¨¨&¨&& ¨&¨&¨&¨¨¨¨
¨&&&&¨&&&¨ AND THEN I GOT UP, AND LOOKED AROUND. ¨&&&&&&¨¨¨
¨&¨¨¨&&¨¨& IT WAS DARK, WHERE IT PREVIOUSLY HAD &&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&&¨¨&¨&¨& BEEN A BRIGHT DAY. AROUND ME WHERE ¨¨&¨¨¨¨&&¨
¨&¨&¨&&&&& DOZENS OF CRASHED CARS, ALL MY CAR, ¨¨&&¨¨¨&¨&
&&&&&&¨¨¨¨ SOME ON FIRE. &¨&¨&¨¨&&&
¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ ¨&&&&&¨&¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ THE GROUND WAS STICKY, RED. &&¨¨¨¨&&&¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨&¨ ¨¨&¨¨¨&¨¨&
&¨¨¨¨¨&&&& AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS ¨¨&&¨¨&&¨&
¨&¨¨¨¨&¨¨¨ DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY &¨&¨&¨&¨&&
&&&¨¨¨&&¨¨ TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING! &&&&&&&&&¨
&¨¨&¨¨&¨&¨ SHE WAS HERE! ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨&&¨&&&& ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&&&&¨&&¨¨¨ &¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨¨¨¨&&¨&¨¨ ¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&
&¨¨¨&¨&&&¨ ¨&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&
¨&¨¨&&&¨¨& ¨&¨&¨¨¨¨¨&