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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!               .:~~=††&&&
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