¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ $:~~~~~,,,¨ ¨,,,~~~~~:$ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ $ $ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ $ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:
$:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING! ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:$
%$:~,¨¨¨¨¨ SHE WAS HERE! ¨¨¨¨¨,~:$%
&%$:~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~:$%&
#&%$:~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~:$%
##&%$:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:$%#
###&%$:~,¨ ¨,~:$%##
##&%$:~,¨¨ ¨¨,~:$%#