,,,^^:£&&@                                          @&&£:^^,,,
,^«:§£&@##                                          ##@&£§:«^,
,,,,,,^:§&                                          &§:^,,,,,,
,^«:§£&@##                                          ##@&£§:«^,
,,,,,^::£@                                          @£::^,,,,,
,^«:§£&@##         §:«««««^^^,  ,^^^«««««:§         ##@&£§:«^,
,^«:§£&###         §                      §         ###&£§:«^,
,,,,«:£££@         § 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!              ##@&£§:«^,
,,,,«§§§&#                                          #&§§§«,,,,
,,,^^«:§§&                                          &§§:«^^,,,
,^«:§££&@@                                          @@&££§:«^,
,^«:§£&###                                          ###&£§:«^,
,,,,«§§§£&                                          &£§§§«,,,,