£§†*~^....                                          ....^~*†§£
§†*~^.....                                          .....^~*†§
†*~^......                                          ......^~*†
*~^.......                                          .......^~*
~^........                                          ........^~
^.........         †*~~~~~^^^.  .^^^~~~~~*†         .........^
~^........         †                      †         ........^~
*~^.......         † 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!               ...^~*†§£@
#@£§†*~^..                                          ..^~*†§£@#
##@£§†*~^.                                          .^~*†§£@##
#@£§†*~^..                                          ..^~*†§£@#
@£§†*~^...                                          ...^~*†§£@
£§†*~^....                                          ....^~*†§£