¨:«*§%§£@#                                          #@£§%§*«:¨
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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!              ##£§%§*«:¨
¨:«*§%§£@@                                          @@£§%§*«:¨
¨:«*§%§£@#                                          #@£§%§*«:¨
¨:«*§%§£@#                                          #@£§%§*«:¨
¨¨¨::**%£@                                          @£%**::¨¨¨
¨:«*§%§£@#                                          #@£§%§*«:¨