&¨¨¨¨&&&¨¨ ¨&&¨&¨¨¨¨¨
&&¨¨¨&¨¨&¨ &&¨&&&¨¨¨¨
&¨&¨¨&&¨&& ¨¨&&¨¨&¨¨¨
&&&&¨&¨&&¨ &¨&¨&¨&&¨¨
&¨¨¨&&&&¨& ¨&&&&&&¨&¨
&&¨¨&¨¨¨&& %†~~~~~^^^¨ ¨^^^~~~~~†% ¨&¨¨¨¨¨&&&
¨¨&¨&&¨¨&¨ % % &&&¨¨¨¨&¨¨
¨¨&&&¨&¨&& % 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! ¨¨&¨¨&&¨&¨
&&¨&&¨¨¨&& &¨&&¨&¨&&&
¨¨&&¨&¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨&&&&¨¨
¨¨&¨&&&¨&& &&¨&&¨¨¨&¨
¨¨&&&¨¨&&¨ ¨¨&&¨&¨¨&&
&¨&¨¨&¨&¨& ¨¨&¨&&&¨&¨