.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&&¶#                                          #¶&&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##         ^†-----~~~.  .~~~-----†^         ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##         ^                      ^         ##¶&@^†-~.
...~†^^&&&         ^ 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!               ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@@@@&                                          &@@@@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.
.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.
...--†^&&¶                                          ¶&&^†--...
.~-†^@&¶##                                          ##¶&@^†-~.