###§$%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%$§###
###§$%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%$§###
§§§$%=^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^=%$§§§
###§$%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%$§###
§§§%;=¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨=;%§§§
##$$%;==^¨         %;=====^^^¨  ¨^^^=====;%         ¨^==;%$$##
§§%;;=¨¨¨¨         %                      %         ¨¨¨¨=;;%§§
###§$%;=^¨         % MIRAGE CLASS GOTH GF %         ¨^=;%$§###
§%;;=^^^^¨         %                      %         ¨^^^^=;;%§
####$%;=^¨         %;=====^^^¨  ¨^^^=====;%         ¨^=;%$####
§$%;=^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^=;%$§
#§%;^^^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^^^;%§#
#$$%;^¨¨¨¨  I USED TO BE A GOTH, IN MY YOUTH, DOING ¨¨¨¨^;%$$#
#$$;=^¨¨¨¨  CRIMES MOSTLY FROM OR IN MY BELOVED AND ¨¨¨¨^=;$$#
§§§%%%;=^¨  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,   ¨¨¨¨¨^;$$§
§%%==^¨¨¨¨              SOME ON FIRE.               ¨¨¨¨^==%%§
§§§%%==^^¨                                          ¨^^==%%§§§
§$%=¨¨¨¨¨¨       THE GROUND WAS STICKY, RED.        ¨¨¨¨¨¨=%$§
#§$$%%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%%$$§#
###§$%;=^¨   AND THEN I REALIZED THAT I KNEW THIS   ¨^=;%$§###
####$%;=^¨     DARKNESS. I KNEW THE WAY THE SKY     ¨^=;%$####
#§§$;;=¨¨¨  TOUCHED THE GROUND. THIS WAS HER DOING! ¨¨¨=;;$§§#
##$%==^¨¨¨               SHE WAS HERE!              ¨¨¨^==%$##
###§$%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%$§###
§§%%;;;=^¨                                          ¨^=;;;%%§§
#$$%;=^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^=;%$$#
###§$%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%$§###
###§$%;=^¨                                          ¨^=;%$§###