##¶§%=:«,¨ ¨,«:=%§¶##
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=:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ =:«««««,,,¨ ¨,,,«««««:= ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:=
:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = = ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = 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! ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:
=:«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«:=
%=:«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«:=%
§%=:«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«:=%§
¶§%=:«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«:=%§¶