¨¨¨¨=†$$£#                                          #£$$†=¨¨¨¨
¨^=:†$£££#                                          #£££$†:=^¨
¨^=:†$£@##                                          ##@£$†:=^¨
¨^=:†$£@##                                          ##@£$†:=^¨
¨¨¨¨=:$££@                                          @££$:=¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=†$£         †:=====^^^¨  ¨^^^=====:†         £$†=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^:$£@         †                      †         @£$:^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^==†$£#         † MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF †         #£$†==^¨¨¨
¨^=:†$£@##         †                      †         ##@£$†:=^¨
¨¨¨¨^:†££#         †:=====^^^¨  ¨^^^=====:†         #££†:^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=:$@                                          @$:=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^=††$$@                                          @$$††=^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨^:††$@ I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING  @$††:^¨¨¨¨
¨^=:†$£@##  CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND ##@£$†:=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=†££  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.               #@£†:=¨¨¨¨
¨^=:†$£@##                                          ##@£$†:=^¨
¨^=:†$£@##       THE GROUND WAS STICKY, RED.        ##@£$†:=^¨
¨¨¨¨=††$£#                                          #£$††=¨¨¨¨
¨^:†$£@###   AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS   ###@£$†:^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=†$@     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     @$†=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=:†$£@@# TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING!  #@@£$†:=^¨
¨¨^==†$$@#              SHE WAS HERE!               #@$$†==^¨¨
¨¨^==:††$£                                          £$††:==^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^:$£                                          £$:^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^:†£@#                                          #@£†:^¨¨¨¨
¨^=:†$$$£@                                          @£$$$†:=^¨
¨^=:†$£@##                                          ##@£$†:=^¨