£$†~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~†$£
$†~^,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,^~†$
†~^,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,^~†
~^,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,^~
^,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,^
,,,,,,,,,,         †=~~~~~^^^,  ,^^^~~~~~=†         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         †                      †         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         † 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!  ,,,,,,,^~†
$†~^,,,,,,               SHE WAS HERE!              ,,,,,,^~†$
£$†~^,,,,,                                          ,,,,,^~†$£
#£$†~^,,,,                                          ,,,,^~†$£#
##£$†~^,,,                                          ,,,^~†$£##
###£$†~^,,                                          ,,^~†$£###
####£$†~^,                                          ,^~†$£####