..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..«†^@####                                          ####@^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..««««^@##                                          ##@^««««..
..«†^%@###         ^†«««««....  ....«««««†^         ###@%^†«..
......«^%#         ^                      ^         #%^«......
..«†^%@###         ^ 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!              ###@%^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..
..«†^%@###                                          ###@%^†«..