§¨§§¨¨§§§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨§¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§¨¨§§§¨
¨§§§§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨¨§§
§¨¨¨¨§¨§§§                                          §§§§§§¨§¨§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§§§§¨
§¨¨§¨¨§¨§¨         †=~~~~~,,,¨  ¨,,,~~~~~=†         ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§
§¨§§¨§§§§§         †                      †         ¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨¨¨§         † 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!              ¨§§§§¨§§§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨
§¨§§§¨¨¨¨§                                          §¨¨§¨§¨§§¨
§§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          §¨§§§§§¨§§
¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨
§§§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨