¨¨§§§§¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨§§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§                                          §§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§¨¨§§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨§
§¨§§§§§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§§§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§         =\~~~~~:::¨  ¨:::~~~~~\=         ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§         =                      =         §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨§§§§¨¨¨¨§         = 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!               ¨§§§§§¨¨§§
¨¨¨§§¨§§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§§§§
§¨¨§§§¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§¨¨§§¨§                                          §§§§§¨§§¨¨
§¨§§§¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨