@&$%~~~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~~~%$&@
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##
@@&%~:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:~%&@@
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##
###@&$%/~¨         %/~~~~~:::¨  ¨:::~~~~~/%         ¨~/%$&@###
&%%~¨¨¨¨¨¨         %                      %         ¨¨¨¨¨¨~%%&
##@&$%/~:¨         % MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF %         ¨:~/%$&@##
&$$/~:¨¨¨¨         %                      %         ¨¨¨¨:~/$$&
##@&$%/~:¨         %/~~~~~:::¨  ¨:::~~~~~/%         ¨:~/%$&@##
&%%%%~~~:¨                                          ¨:~~~%%%%&
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##
##@&$%/~:¨ I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING  ¨:~/%$&@##
##@&$%/~:¨  CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND ¨:~/%$&@##
&%%~~:¨¨¨¨  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!  ¨¨¨¨¨:~%&&
##@&$%/~:¨               SHE WAS HERE!              ¨:~/%$&@##
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##
#&$/~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~/$&#
&%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%&
##@&$%/~:¨                                          ¨:~/%$&@##