,,~«\^§&##                                          ##&§^\«~,,
,~«\^§&###                                          ###&§^\«~,
,,~«\^§&##                                          ##&§^\«~,,
,,,~«\^§&#                                          #&§^\«~,,,
,,,,~«\^§&                                          &§^\«~,,,,
,,,,,~«\^§         ^\«««««~~~,  ,~~~«««««\^         §^\«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«\^         ^                      ^         ^\«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«\         ^ 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!              ###&§^\«~,
,,~«\^§&##                                          ##&§^\«~,,
,,,~«\^§&#                                          #&§^\«~,,,
,,,,~«\^§&                                          &§^\«~,,,,
,,,,,~«\^§                                          §^\«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«\^                                          ^\«~,,,,,,