¨:«†%%§¶@@                                          @@¶§%%†«:¨
¨:«†%%§¶¶@                                          @¶¶§%%†«:¨
¨¨¨:†%%%§§                                          §§%%%†:¨¨¨
¨:«†%%§§¶@                                          @¶§§%%†«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«%%§                                          §%%«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨«††††%§         %†«««««:::¨  ¨:::«««««†%         §%††††«¨¨¨
¨:«†%%§¶@#         %                      %         #@¶§%%†«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨«%%§@         % 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!               @§%««««¨¨¨
¨:«†%%§@##                                          ##@§%%†«:¨
¨¨¨¨««†%%§                                          §%%†««¨¨¨¨
¨¨:««††%%§                                          §%%††««:¨¨
¨¨¨¨:«†%¶¶                                          ¶¶%†«:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨::†%¶                                          ¶%†::¨¨¨¨¨