@£$††=---.                                          .---=††$£@
##@#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#@##
#@£#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#£@#
@###$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$###@
#@£#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#£@#
£$$$^^-...         †^=====---.  .---=====^†         ...-^^$$$£
£#††^===-.         †                      †         .-===^††#£
#†=.......         † 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   ..--====†#
££$$†^^=-.     WALL AND FLEW OUT THE WINDSHIELD.    .-=^^†$$££
#$††==-...                                          ...-==††$#
#@£#$†^=-.   AND THEN I GOT UP, AND LOOKED AROUND.  .-=^†$#£@#
##@£$†^=-.   IT WAS DARK, WHERE IT PREVIOUSLY HAD   .-=^†$£@##
##@£$†^=-.    BEEN A BRIGHT DAY. AROUND ME WHERE    .-=^†$£@##
##@£$†^=-.    DOZENS OF CRASHED CARS, ALL MY CAR,   .-=^†$£@##
@£$^^^-...              SOME ON FIRE.               ...-^^^$£@
£££#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#£££
#@£#$†^=-.       THE GROUND WAS STICKY, RED.        .-=^†$#£@#
@@£#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#£@@
#@£#$†^=-.   AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS   .-=^†$#£@#
#@£#$†^=-.     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     .-=^†$#£@#
£$^===-...  TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING! ...-===^$£
#$†=......              SHE WAS HERE!               ......=†$#
@#†^-.....                                          .....-^†#@
#$$†^=....                                          ....=^†$$#
£££#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#£££
#$^--.....                                          .....--^$#
#@£#$†^=-.                                          .-=^†$#£@#