#&&§«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«§&&#
###&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&###
#%%%%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%%%%#
###&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&###
##&%%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%%&##
#&§««««..¨ §=«««««...¨ ¨...«««««=§ ¨..««««§&#
&&§§§=.¨¨¨ § § ¨¨¨.=§§§&&
###&%§=«.¨ § 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! ¨.«=§%&###
##&&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&&##
###&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&###
###&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&###
###&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&###
###&%§=«.¨ ¨.«=§%&###