,^=†§¤#@##                                          ##@#¤§†=^,
,^-=†§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§†=-^,
,^--====§#                                          #§====--^,
,,,,-==†¤¤                                          ¤¤†==-,,,,
,,^^^-†§#@                                          @#§†-^^^,,
,^-=†§§§¤¤         †=-----^^^,  ,^^^-----=†         ¤¤§§§†=-^,
,^-=†§¤###         †                      †         ###¤§†=-^,
,^-=†§¤#@#         † 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!              ¤†==-^,,,,
,^-=†§§¤#@                                          @#¤§§†=-^,
,^-=†§¤#@@                                          @@#¤§†=-^,
,^=†§¤#@##                                          ##@#¤§†=^,
,^-=†§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§†=-^,
,^-=†§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§†=-^,