&&&&&&&&¨¨ &¨¨&¨¨¨&&¨
&¨¨¨¨¨¨¨&¨ &&¨&&¨¨&¨&
¨&¨¨¨¨¨¨&& &¨&&¨&¨&&&
&&&¨¨¨¨¨&¨ ¨&&¨&&&&¨¨
&¨¨&¨¨¨¨&& ¨&¨&&¨¨¨&¨
&&¨&&¨¨¨&¨ *;~~~~~---¨ ¨---~~~~~;* ¨&&&¨&¨¨&&
¨¨&&¨&¨¨&& * * &&¨¨&&&¨&¨
¨¨&¨&&&¨&¨ * 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! ¨&¨&¨¨¨&¨¨
¨&¨&&&¨¨¨& ¨&&&&¨¨&&¨
¨&&&¨¨&¨¨& ¨&¨¨¨&¨&¨&
&&¨¨&¨&&¨& &&&¨¨&&&&&
¨¨&¨&&&¨&& &¨¨&¨&¨¨¨¨
¨¨&&&¨¨&&¨ ¨&¨&&&&¨¨¨