.~~\§£@@## ##@@£§\~~.
..~~\§£@@# #@@£§\~~..
...~~\§£@@ @@£§\~~...
....~~\§£@ @£§\~~....
.....~~\§£ £§\~~.....
......~~\§ §\~~~~~~~~. .~~~~~~~~\§ §\~~......
.......~~\ § § \~~.......
........~~ § 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! ..........
.........~ ~.........
........~~ ~~........
.......~~\ \~~.......
......~~\§ §\~~......
.....~~\§£ £§\~~.....