,,,~:†$###                                          ###$†:~,,,
,,~:†$####                                          ####$†:~,,
,,,~:†$###                                          ###$†:~,,,
,,,,~:†$##                                          ##$†:~,,,,
,,,,,~:†$#                                          #$†:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:†$         †:~~~~~,,,,  ,,,,~~~~~:†         $†:~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:†         †                      †         †:~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~:         † MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF †         :~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~         †                      †         ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,         †:~~~~~,,,,  ,,,,~~~~~:†         ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING  ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~: CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND  :~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:†   TRUSTED CAR, AND SOMETIMES MY MOTHERS  †:~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~:†$    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!               ####$†:~,,
,,,~:†$###                                          ###$†:~,,,
,,,,~:†$##                                          ##$†:~,,,,
,,,,,~:†$#                                          #$†:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:†$                                          $†:~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:†                                          †:~,,,,,,,