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,~:%££¶###                                          ###¶££%:~,
,~«:%£££££                                          £££££%:«~,
,~««::£££#  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.                 ##¶££%:«~,
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,~«:%££¶##                                          ##¶££%:«~,
,~«:%££¶##                                          ##¶££%:«~,
,~«:££¶###  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...             ££:~,,,,,,
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,~«:%££¶##    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.               ¶¶£%%%:«~,
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,~«:%££¶##        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!               #¶¶££%:«~,
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