..^«:§£§##                                          ##§£§:«^..
...^«:§£§#                                          #§£§:«^...
..^«:§£§##                                          ##§£§:«^..
.^«:§£§###                                          ###§£§:«^.
..^«:§£§##                                          ##§£§:«^..
...^«:§£§#         §:«««««^^^.  .^^^«««««:§         #§£§:«^...
..^«:§£§##         §                      §         ##§£§:«^..
.^«:§£§###         § 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!              ###§£§:«^.
..^«:§£§##                                          ##§£§:«^..
...^«:§£§#                                          #§£§:«^...
..^«:§£§##                                          ##§£§:«^..
.^«:§£§###                                          ###§£§:«^.
..^«:§£§##                                          ##§£§:«^..