.:~:†£@###                                          ###@£†:~:.
.:~:†£@###                                          ###@£†:~:.
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.:~:†£@###                                          ###@£†:~:.
.:~:†£@###                                          ###@£†:~:.
....:::£##         †:~~~~~:::.  .:::~~~~~:†         ##£:::....
...::†£@@#         †                      †         #@@£†::...
.:~:†£@###         † 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!              ####£†:~:.
.:~:†£@###                                          ###@£†:~:.
.:~:†£@###                                          ###@£†:~:.
.:~:†††£##                                          ##£†††:~:.
...::::†£#                                          #£†::::...
.:~~:††£@@                                          @@£††:~~:.