¨§§§¨§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨§§§
§¨¨§§§¨§§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨§
§¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§§§¨§¨§¨¨¨                                          §¨§§§§§§§§
¨¨§§§§§¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨         $/~~~~~^^^¨  ¨^^^~~~~~/$         ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨¨¨§§¨¨¨         $                      $         §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§¨¨§         $ 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!               ¨§¨§§§§¨§¨
¨§§§§¨§¨¨¨                                          §§§¨¨¨§§§¨
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§¨¨§¨¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨§§¨§§§
§¨§§¨§§§¨§                                          §¨§§¨§§¨¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨§§¨                                          §§¨§§¨§¨¨§