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...^-/%§£#         */-----^^^.  .^^^-----/*         #£§%/-^...
....^-/%§£         *                      *         £§%/-^....
.....^-/%§         * MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF *         §%/-^.....
......^-/%         *                      *         %/-^......
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........^- 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!               ^.........
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