.^~:%£@###                                          ###@£%:~^.
..^~:%£@##                                          ##@£%:~^..
...^~:%£@#                                          #@£%:~^...
....^~:%£@                                          @£%:~^....
.....^~:%£                                          £%:~^.....
....^~:%£@         %:~~~~~^^^.  .^^^~~~~~:%         @£%:~^....
...^~:%£@#         %                      %         #@£%:~^...
..^~:%£@##         % 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!              @£%:~^....
.....^~:%£                                          £%:~^.....
....^~:%£@                                          @£%:~^....
...^~:%£@#                                          #@£%:~^...
..^~:%£@##                                          ##@£%:~^..
.^~:%£@###                                          ###@£%:~^.