.:«:^£§@##                                          ##@§£^:«:.
..:«:^£§@#                                          #@§£^:«:..
...:«:^£§@                                          @§£^:«:...
..:«:^£§@#                                          #@§£^:«:..
.:«:^£§@##                                          ##@§£^:«:.
..:«:^£§@#         ^:«««««:::.  .:::«««««:^         #@§£^:«:..
...:«:^£§@         ^                      ^         @§£^:«:...
..:«:^£§@#         ^ 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!               #@§£^:«:..
.:«:^£§@##                                          ##@§£^:«:.
..:«:^£§@#                                          #@§£^:«:..
...:«:^£§@                                          @§£^:«:...
..:«:^£§@#                                          #@§£^:«:..
.:«:^£§@##                                          ##@§£^:«:.