¨¨¨&&&&&&¨ &¨¨&&&¨¨&¨
¨¨&¨¨¨¨¨&& &¨&¨¨&¨&&¨
¨&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨ &&&¨&&&¨&¨
&¨&¨¨¨&&¨¨ ¨¨&&¨¨&&&¨
&&&¨¨&¨&¨& ¨&¨&¨&¨¨&&
¨¨&¨&&&&&¨ †=~~~~~,,,¨ ¨,,,~~~~~=† &&&&&&¨&¨¨
¨&&&¨¨¨¨&¨ † † ¨¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨
&¨¨&¨¨¨&&¨ † 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! ¨¨&&¨&&¨¨¨
¨¨&&&&&&&& ¨&¨&&¨&¨¨¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨& &&&¨&&&¨¨¨
&&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& ¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨
¨&¨¨¨¨¨&¨¨ ¨&¨&¨&&¨¨&
&&¨¨¨¨&&¨¨ &&&&&¨&¨&&