¨§§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§§§§§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§¨¨¨§§                                          §§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§§§§§¨§§§§                                          §§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨         §\~~~~~:::¨  ¨:::~~~~~\§         ¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨§
¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨         §                      §         §§¨¨§¨§¨§§
¨¨§§§§¨¨¨§         § 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!               §§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
§¨§§¨§§¨§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§