...::~††¤#                                          #¤††~::...
.:~=†¤@###                                          ###@¤†=~:.
.:~=†¤@###                                          ###@¤†=~:.
......:~†@                                          @†~:......
...:==††¤@                                          @¤††==:...
.....~=¤##         †=~~~~~:::.  .:::~~~~~=†         ##¤=~.....
.:~=†¤@###         †                      †         ###@¤†=~:.
.:~=†¤@###         † 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!              #@@¤¤†=~:.
.:~=†¤@###                                          ###@¤†=~:.
.:~=†¤@###                                          ###@¤†=~:.
.:=†¤@####                                          ####@¤†=:.
.:~~~~††@#                                          #@††~~~~:.
.:~=†¤@###                                          ###@¤†=~:.