#¤¤¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤¤¤#
#¤¤¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤¤¤#
###¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤###
#@#¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤#@#
@@#¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤#@@
#@#¤$§†=~.         §†=====~~~.  .~~~=====†§         .~=†§$¤#@#
¤§†~~~~~..         §                      §         ..~~~~~†§¤
#@#¤$§†=~.         § MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF §         .~=†§$¤#@#
#$$§§†=~~.         §                      §         .~~=†§§$$#
@@#¤$§†=~.         §†=====~~~.  .~~~=====†§         .~=†§$¤#@@
#$§†~.....                                          .....~†§$#
##@#¤§†=~.                                          .~=†§¤#@##
#@#¤$§†=~.  I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING .~=†§$¤#@#
@¤§===~... 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.        ....~~=§¤@
#¤§§§==...                                          ...==§§§¤#
#¤$$§§†=~.   AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS   .~=†§§$$¤#
#$†~~.....     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     .....~~†$#
#@#¤$§†=~. TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING!  .~=†§$¤#@#
¤$§††††=~.              SHE WAS HERE!               .~=††††§$¤
##@#¤$§=~.                                          .~=§$¤#@##
#@#¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤#@#
#@#¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤#@#
###¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤###
##@¤$§†=~.                                          .~=†§$¤@##