##¶¤%%*~~¨ ¨~~*%%¤¶##
¤%*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*%¤
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¤¤%%%%*~~¨ ¨~~*%%%%¤¤
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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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