.~«//†§§¤#                                          #¤§§†//«~.
.....~«/†¤                                          ¤†/«~.....
......~/§¤                                          ¤§/~......
....~/§§@@                                          @@§§/~....
.~«/†§¤@##                                          ##@¤§†/«~.
.....«††§@         †/«««««~~~.  .~~~«««««/†         @§††«.....
......«/§¤         †                      †         ¤§/«......
.~«///§§§@         † 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!               ###¤§†/«~.
.~«/†§¤@##                                          ##@¤§†/«~.
....«««†¤#                                          #¤†«««....
.~«/†§¤@##                                          ##@¤§†/«~.
.~«/†§¤###                                          ###¤§†/«~.
.~«/†§¤@##                                          ##@¤§†/«~.