¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§§§¨¨§¨
¨¨§§¨§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨§¨§§§§§§§                                          §§§¨§§§¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨§§§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨¨§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨         *=~~~~~:::¨  ¨:::~~~~~=*         §§§§§§¨§¨§
§¨§¨¨¨¨§§§         *                      *         ¨¨¨¨¨§§§§§
§§§¨¨¨§¨¨§         * 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!              §§§§¨¨¨¨§§
¨¨§§¨¨§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§¨§¨¨§§                                          ¨¨§§¨¨§§¨¨
§§§§§§¨§¨§                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§¨§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§