,,,,,,,.~%                                          %~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.~%£                                          £%~.,,,,,,
,,,,,.~%£#                                          #£%~.,,,,,
,,,,.~%£##                                          ##£%~.,,,,
,,,.~%£##@                                          @##£%~.,,,
,,.~%£##@#         %/~~~~~...,  ,...~~~~~/%         #@##£%~.,,
,.~%£##@##         %                      %         ##@##£%~.,
,,.~%£##@#         % 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!               #@##£%~.,,
,,,.~%£##@                                          @##£%~.,,,
,,,,.~%£##                                          ##£%~.,,,,
,,,,,.~%£#                                          #£%~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~%£                                          £%~.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~%                                          %~.,,,,,,,