§§§¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          §§§§§¨§§¨§
¨¨§¨¨§§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨§§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§¨§¨
§¨§§§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨§§§¨§§§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§§§                                          ¨§¨¨§§¨¨§§
¨§¨§§§¨¨¨¨         %*~~~~~,,,¨  ¨,,,~~~~~*%         §§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨         %                      %         ¨§§§§§§§¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨         % 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!               ¨§¨¨§§¨¨§¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          §§¨§¨§¨§§§
§§¨§¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§§§§§§¨¨¨
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§                                          §¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨§§§§                                          §¨¨¨¨§§¨§§
§¨§§¨§¨¨¨§                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨