.:~:†¤¤¤¤#                                          #¤¤¤¤†:~:.
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.
...::~:††¤                                          ¤††:~::...
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.
...~:††¤¤#         †:~~~~~:::.  .:::~~~~~:†         #¤¤††:~...
.:~~~:¤¤##         †                      †         ##¤¤:~~~:.
.:~:†¤¤###         † 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!               #¤¤:~.....
.....~†¤##                                          ##¤†~.....
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.
.:~:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:~:.