¨~=\=&§¶@#                                          #@¶§&=\=~¨
¨~=\=&§¶@@                                          @@¶§&=\=~¨
¨~=\=&§@##                                          ##@§&=\=~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~\&§                                          §&\~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~==\===§@                                          @§===\==~¨
¨~=\=&§¶@#         =\=====~~~¨  ¨~~~=====\=         #@¶§&=\=~¨
¨~=\=&§¶¶@         =                      =         @¶¶§&=\=~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨==§         = 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!               #@¶§&=\=~¨
¨~=\=&§¶@#                                          #@¶§&=\=~¨
¨~=\=&§¶@@                                          @@¶§&=\=~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨==§§                                          §§==¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨~=\=&§¶##                                          ##¶§&=\=~¨
¨~=\=&§¶@#                                          #@¶§&=\=~¨