,,,,,~«\%£                                          £%\«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«\%                                          %\«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«\                                          \«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~«                                          «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~                                          ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         %\«««««~~~,  ,~~~«««««\%         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~         %                      %         ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~«         % 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!               %\«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«\                                          \«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~«                                          «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~                                          ~,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,~                                          ~,,,,,,,,,