@#&&$^:«,¨                                          ¨,«:^$&&#@
###&$^:«,¨                                          ¨,«:^$&###
##@#$^:«,¨                                          ¨,«:^$#@##
@##&$^:«,¨                                          ¨,«:^$&##@
##$^«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«^$##
#@#&$^:«,¨         ^:«««««,,,¨  ¨,,,«««««:^         ¨,«:^$&#@#
#$:««««,,¨         ^                      ^         ¨,,««««:$#
&^:,,¨¨¨¨¨         ^ 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! ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«^&
##@&$^:«,¨               SHE WAS HERE!              ¨,«:^$&@##
#@#&$^:«,¨                                          ¨,«:^$&#@#
@#$:«,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,«:$#@
##$^:«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«:^$##
@&^::«,,,¨                                          ¨,,,«::^&@
#@#&$^:«,¨                                          ¨,«:^$&#@#