,~«†$§§§&#                                          #&§§§$†«~,
,~«†$§&@##                                          ##@&§$†«~,
,~«†§&@###                                          ###@&§†«~,
,,,,~†$§§&                                          &§§$†~,,,,
,~«««†§§@#                                          #@§§†«««~,
,~«†$$$§§@         $†«««««~~~,  ,~~~«««««†$         @§§$$$†«~,
,~«†$§&@@#         $                      $         #@@&§$†«~,
~«†$§&@###         $ 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     @§§§†«~,,,
,~«†$§&@## TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING!  ##@&§$†«~,
,~«†$§§§&#              SHE WAS HERE!               #&§§§$†«~,
,,,,«†§§&#                                          #&§§†«,,,,
,~«†$§&@##                                          ##@&§$†«~,
,,,,,,«$§@                                          @§$«,,,,,,
,,,,,,«$§@                                          @§$«,,,,,,
,,,,,«†§@#                                          #@§†«,,,,,