§§§§¨¨§§§§                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§§§§§§
§§¨§§§¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨§¨         $=~~~~~---¨  ¨---~~~~~=$         ¨§§¨§§¨¨¨¨
§§§¨§¨§§§§         $                      $         §§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
§¨¨§§§§¨¨¨         $ 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!               ¨¨§§¨¨§¨§¨
¨¨§§§§¨§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§§§§
§¨§¨¨¨§§§§                                          §§§§§§§¨¨¨
§§§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨
§§¨¨§§§¨§¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§