§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨¨§§¨§¨§¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§         *:~~~~~^^^¨  ¨^^^~~~~~:*         ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§         *                      *         ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§         * 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!              ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨