¨§§¨§§§¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨§¨¨§§§§¨
¨§§§¨§¨§§¨                                          §§§§¨§¨¨¨§
§§¨¨§§§§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§§                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§
§¨§§§§¨¨§¨         ^\~~~~~,,,¨  ¨,,,~~~~~\^         ¨§¨¨§§¨§§§
¨§§¨¨¨§¨§§         ^                      ^         ¨§§¨§¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨¨§§§¨         ^ 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!              ¨§§¨¨§§§§¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨§
¨§¨§¨§§§§¨                                          §§§§§§§¨¨§
§§§§§§¨¨¨§                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§                                          §§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨