..«/%§£@##                                          ##@£§%/«..
...«/%§£@#                                          #@£§%/«...
....«/%§£@                                          @£§%/«....
.....«/%§£                                          £§%/«.....
......«/%§                                          §%/«......
.......«/%         %/«««««....  ....«««««/%         %/«.......
........«/         %                      %         /«........
.......«/%         % 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!              %/«.......
......«/%§                                          §%/«......
.....«/%§£                                          £§%/«.....
....«/%§£@                                          @£§%/«....
...«/%§£@#                                          #@£§%/«...
..«/%§£@##                                          ##@£§%/«..