##¶&%=;~^. .^~;=%&¶##
#¶¶&%=;~^. .^~;=%&¶¶#
#¶¶&%=;~^. .^~;=%&¶¶#
¶¶¶&%=;~^. .^~;=%&¶¶¶
&&=~~^.... ....^~~=&&
#&==;~^... =;~~~~~^^^. .^^^~~~~~;= ...^~;==
##¶&%=;~^. = = .^~;=%&¶##
###¶&%;~^. = 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! .^~;=%%%%¶
##¶&%=;~^. .^~;=%&¶##
##¶&%=;~^. .^~;=%&¶##
&%%;~..... .....~;%%&
#&&&%=;~^. .^~;=%&&
#¶&=;^.... ....^;=&¶#