¨¨¨§§§§¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨§¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨                                          §¨§§§¨§§§§
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§                                          §§§¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨§§§¨§¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨§§§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§§§§§§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨¨§¨         =^~~~~~,,,¨  ¨,,,~~~~~^=         §§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§
§§¨§§§¨¨§§         =                      =         ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨§§¨¨§¨§¨         = 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!              ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§§§¨§¨¨§¨
§§§¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          §§¨¨§§§¨§§
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§§§¨§¨§
§¨¨§§¨§§¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨§§§§