.,~;%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%;~,.
.,~;%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%;~,.
.,~;%£§#@@                                          @@#§£%;~,.
...~;%££§@                                          @§££%;~...
.,~;%£§@##                                          ##@§£%;~,.
.,~;%£§###         %;~~~~~,,,.  .,,,~~~~~;%         ###§£%;~,.
..,,,~%§§@         %                      %         @§§%~,,,..
.,~;%£§#@#         % 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!              #@#§£%;~,.
.,~;;;%§§#                                          #§§%;;;~,.
.,~;%£§#@#                                          #@#§£%;~,.
.,~;%£§#@@                                          @@#§£%;~,.
.,~%£§#@##                                          ##@#§£%~,.
....,~%£§§                                          §§£%~,....