##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
#¶£$«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«$£¶#
@$\«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«\$@
#¶£$««^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^««$£¶#
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#@@$\^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^\$@@#
#¶@££$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$££@¶#
¶££\^¨¨¨¨¨ I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING  ¨¨¨¨¨^\££¶
##¶@£$\«^¨  CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨   TRUSTED CAR, AND SOMETIMES MY MOTHERS  ¨^«\$£@¶##
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##¶@£$\«^¨   GROVE AT THE END OF A DIRT ROAD, AND   ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨   THE BARN WAS PLACED SO YOU COULD JUST  ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨  MAKE OUT THE SURROUNDING FIELDS THROUGH ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨                THE TREES.                ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
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##¶@£$\«^¨    ENGINE AND THE WAY THE PARTS DIDN'T   ¨^«\$£@¶##
#¶¶@£$\«^¨     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.                 ¨^«\$£@¶##
#@$$\««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««\$$@#
¶££££$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$££££¶
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@£$«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«$£@
@@$$\«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«\$$@@
##¶@£$\«^¨  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.           ¨¨¨¨¨«$$@@
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨      SOMETIMES I COULD STILL SEE HER     ¨^«\$£@¶##
@$\«^^¨¨¨¨    FLASHING BY ON THE TV IN THE BARN.    ¨¨¨¨^^«\$@
###@£$\«^¨     EVERYTHING WAS BLACK THEN, FOR A     ¨^«\$£@###
¶@@£\\\«^¨  MOMENT. I REMEMBERED HER LAUGH AND KNEW ¨^«\\\£@@¶
##¶@£$\«^¨   WE HAD DONE CRIMES TOGETHER, THAT IT   ¨^«\$£@¶##
¶@£\«««^¨¨             HAD BEEN REAL...             ¨¨^«««\£@¶
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
#@$\^^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^^\$@#
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##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
@$\\^^¨¨¨¨    I DIED BY GETTING SHOT IN THE HEAD    ¨¨¨¨^^\\$@
@@$««^¨¨¨¨   WHILE RAMMING THE FENCE TO A MILITARY  ¨¨¨¨^««$@@
##¶@£$\«^¨   FACILITY. BY THIS TIME THEY HAD BEEN   ¨^«\$£@¶##
¶£\^¨¨¨¨¨¨    CHASING ME FOR DAYS. I LOST CONTROL   ¨¨¨¨¨¨^\£¶
@@@@£$\«^¨   OVER THE CAR, CRASHED IT INTO A ROCK   ¨^«\$£@@@@
@£$$«^¨¨¨¨    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   ¨^«\$£@¶##
@@@£$\\«^¨     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     ¨^«\\$£@@@
##¶@£$\«^¨ TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING!  ¨^«\$£@¶##
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##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
#¶@$«^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^«$@¶#
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
##¶@£$\«^¨                                          ¨^«\$£@¶##
@$«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«$@