,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,,,,,,.^%£                                          £%^.,,,,,,
,,,,,,.^%£                                          £%^.,,,,,,
,.«^†%£@##         †^«««««...,  ,...«««««^†         ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##         †                      †         ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@@@         † 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!               #@%%%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%£@##                                          ##@£%†^«.,
,.«^†%%£@@                                          @@£%%†^«.,