.:~=%£§@##                                          ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=£§@###                                          ###@§£=~:.
.:~=%£§@##                                          ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@##                                          ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@##                                          ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@##         %=~~~~~:::.  .:::~~~~~=%         ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@##         %                      %         ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@##         % 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!               ##@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@@#                                          #@@§£%=~:.
.:~=%£§@##                                          ##@§£%=~:.
......:=%§                                          §%=:......
.:~=%£§@##                                          ##@§£%=~:.
.....:==£§                                          §£==:.....