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¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ KEPT ME AWAY. §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
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¨¨,~;=£§@# WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# BLUEBERRIES. #@§£=;~,¨¨
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¨¨,~;=£§@# WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. @§£=;~,¨¨¨
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¨,~;=£§@## THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ AWAY. @§£=;~,¨¨¨
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¨¨¨,~;=£§@ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ##@§£=;~,¨
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¨¨¨,~;=£§@ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ GROUND ITSELF. §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
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¨¨,~;=£§@# SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE #@§£=;~,¨¨
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¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ##@§£=;~,¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~;=£§ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS §£=;~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~;=£§@ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE @§£=;~,¨¨¨
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¨¨¨,~;=£§@ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE @§£=;~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~;=£§@# ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO #@§£=;~,¨¨
¨,~;=£§@## STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ##@§£=;~,¨
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