§§¨¨§§§§§¨                                          §§¨§§§¨§§§
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§                                          §¨§§¨¨§§¨¨
¨¨§§§§¨¨¨§                                          §§§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§                                          §¨¨§§§§§§§
§¨§§¨¨§§¨§                                          §§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§¨§¨§¨§§         $^=====...¨  ¨...=====^$         ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨¨§§§§§§¨         $                      $         §¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§         $ 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!               §¨¨§¨¨§§§§
¨¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨                                          §§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§§§§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨§§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨
¨¨§§¨¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨§§§¨§¨§§
§¨§¨§¨§§§¨                                          §¨§¨¨§§§§¨