¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§§                                          §§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨§§§§¨¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§§                                          §§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§§¨¨§§¨§¨                                          §¨§§§¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§§§                                          §§§¨¨§§¨§¨
¨§§§§§§§¨¨         %*~~~~~...¨  ¨...~~~~~*%         ¨¨¨§¨§¨§§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨         %                      %         ¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§         % 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!               §¨¨§§§§¨¨¨
§§§¨§§§¨¨§                                          §§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨§§¨¨§¨§                                          §¨§§§¨¨§§¨
§§¨§¨§¨§§§                                          §§§¨¨§¨§¨§
¨¨§§§§§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§§§§
§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          §§¨§§§¨¨¨¨