§§¨§¨§¨§§§                                          §¨§¨¨¨§§§¨
§¨§§§§§§¨¨                                          §§§§¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§¨§
§§¨§¨¨¨¨§§                                          §§¨¨§§§¨§§
¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨                                          §¨§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§§         *:--------¨  ¨--------:*         §§§§§§¨§¨§
§¨§§¨§§¨§¨         *                      *         §¨¨¨¨¨§§§§
¨§§¨§§¨§§§         * 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!               ¨§§§¨§¨§§¨
§¨§§¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§§§§¨§
¨§§¨§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨§¨¨¨§§
§§¨§§¨§¨§§                                          §§¨§§§¨¨§¨
§¨§§¨§§§§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨§¨§§
¨§§¨§§¨¨¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§§§¨