#@#†*~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~*†#@#
##@#†*~:¨¨ ¨¨:~*†#@##
###@#†*~:¨ ¨:~*†#@###
##@#†*~:¨¨ ¨¨:~*†#@##
#@#†*~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~*†#@#
@#†*~:¨¨¨¨ †*~~~~~:::¨ ¨:::~~~~~*† ¨¨¨¨:~*†#@
#†*~:¨¨¨¨¨ † † ¨¨¨¨¨:~*†#
†*~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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! ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨