.~~^†$§###                                          ###§$†^~~.
.~~^$§####                                          ####§$^~~.
...~~~^†§§                                          §§†^~~~...
.~~^†$§###                                          ###§$†^~~.
..~~~^$$$§                                          §$$$^~~~..
.~~^†$§###         †^~~~~~~~~.  .~~~~~~~~^†         ###§$†^~~.
.~~^†$§###         †                      †         ###§$†^~~.
.~~^†$§###         † MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF †         ###§$†^~~.
.~~^†$§###         †                      †         ###§$†^~~.
.~~^††$$§§         †^~~~~~~~~.  .~~~~~~~~^†         §§$$††^~~.
.~~^†$§###                                          ###§$†^~~.
..~~~^†§§#                                          #§§†^~~~..
.~~^†$§§##  I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING ##§§$†^~~.
.~~^†$§### CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND  ###§$†^~~.
.~~^†$§###   TRUSTED CAR, AND SOMETIMES MY MOTHERS  ###§$†^~~.
.~~^††$$§#    BARN. WE LIVED JUST OUTSIDE TOWN, A   #§$$††^~~.
....~~~†§§   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!               ##§†††^~~.
.~~^†††§§§                                          §§§†††^~~.
....~^^†§#                                          #§†^^~....
.~~^†$§###                                          ###§$†^~~.
.....~^†$§                                          §$†^~.....
.~~^†$§###                                          ###§$†^~~.