§¨§§¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
¨§§¨§§¨§¨§                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨§¨§§¨§§§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§§§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§¨§§§¨         §;»»»»»~~~¨  ¨~~~»»»»»;§         ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§¨
¨§§¨§§§¨¨§         §                      §         §§§§¨§¨¨§§
§§¨§§¨¨§¨§         § 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!               ¨§¨¨§§¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§§
¨§¨¨§§§§§¨                                          ¨§¨§§§§§§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨§
§§¨§§§¨¨¨§                                          §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨§                                          §¨§¨§§¨¨¨§