¨¨¨¨§§§§§§                                          §¨¨§§§§¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨¨¨§§¨§
¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          §§§¨¨§¨§§§
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨§§§¨¨§
§§§§¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨§§§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨§§§¨         $=«««««---¨  ¨---«««««=$         §¨¨§¨§§§¨¨
¨¨§§¨§¨¨§§         $                      $         §¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§§¨§¨¨         $ 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!               §§¨§§¨§§¨¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨§§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§§§¨¨¨                                          §¨§§¨§§§¨§
§§§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§§
¨¨§§§¨§¨§¨                                          §¨§§§§§§¨§