,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&&&&                                          &&&&$%†~.,
,,,~~†%$&#                                          #&$%†~~,,,
,,,,,.†%&#                                          #&%†.,,,,,
,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,,,~~%%&##         %†~~~~~...,  ,...~~~~~†%         ##&%%~~,,,
,,,...†$##         %                      %         ##$†...,,,
,.~†%$&###         % MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF %         ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&###         %                      %         ###&$%†~.,
,,,,.~%%$#         %†~~~~~...,  ,...~~~~~†%         #$%%~.,,,,
,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%%%&## 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.               ##&$$%†~.,
,,,,,~%&&#                                          #&&%~,,,,,
,,,,,~†%%&       THE GROUND WAS STICKY, RED.        &%%†~,,,,,
,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&###   AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS   ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&&&#     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     #&&&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&###  TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING! ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&###              SHE WAS HERE!               ###&$%†~.,
,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,,,,,.††$#                                          #$††.,,,,,
,.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.,
,,,,,..~%&                                          &%~..,,,,,
,.~~~†$$##                                          ##$$†~~~.,