.:~/†%#£@#                                          #@£#%†/~:.
..:~/†%#£@                                          @£#%†/~:..
...:~/†%#£                                          £#%†/~:...
....:~/†%#                                          #%†/~:....
.....:~/†%                                          %†/~:.....
......:~/†         †/~~~~~:::.  .:::~~~~~/†         †/~:......
.......:~/         †                      †         /~:.......
......:~/†         † 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!              †/~:......
.....:~/†%                                          %†/~:.....
....:~/†%#                                          #%†/~:....
...:~/†%#£                                          £#%†/~:...
..:~/†%#£@                                          @£#%†/~:..
.:~/†%#£@#                                          #@£#%†/~:.