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¨^~^$@§£## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@£###                                          ###£@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨~~$§§# THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR  TWO YEARS #§§$~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^~$§ I  COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH §$~^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^^$$@§ DISCUSSED  WITH OTHERS,  OR POINTED  OUT §@$$^^^¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§£## ON MAPS, I  COULD  NOT THINK OF IT  WHEN ##£§@$^~^¨
¨¨^~~~$$§£ ALONE.  I WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE £§$$~~~^¨¨
¨¨^^^^@@§£ FORK, WHERE  A  RIGHT TURN  WOULD SURELY £§@@^^^^¨¨
¨^~^$@§££# TAKE ME  THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING #££§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£##               KEPT ME AWAY.              ##£§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~~^$§                                          §$^~~^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§§£# WHEN  I FINALLY  GOT  THERE,  AFTER SOME #£§§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^^$§     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     §$^^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§££# ASSUME,  THE  PLACE  WAS   SURREAL.   AN #££§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^$$§# ESKER,  LIKE A  NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT OUT IN #§$$^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~^$§£# THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN   METERS  HIGH  AND #£§$^~¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§£## ADORNED IN  BIRCH, WILLOW,  BRACKEN, AND ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@@§§£               BLUEBERRIES.               £§§@@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~$§                                          §$~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^@@£ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO £@@^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@£### NOTICE THE VIEW  TO  EITHER SIDE.  THERE ###£@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~$@§# SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I #§@$~^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§£## DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM.  FIRST  OFF, THEY ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^^^$$§£ WERE MUCH  TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD £§$$^^^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## STRETCH  FOR A  HUNDRED METERS  MORE  ON ##£§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨~~^^$@§ BOTH  SIDES. BUT  NOW  I  FELT  I  COULD §@$^^~~¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§### ALMOST  REACH  OUT AND TOUCH  THEM.  AND ###§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@@@§§ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES  THEY §§@@@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£##           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£##                                          ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@@§§£ THEY  WERE OF  THE RIGHT LAKE.  BUT THIS £§§@@$^~^¨
¨^~^^^^$@£      LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND       £@$^^^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^~^@§£ 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      #£@^^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@£###     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ###£@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§### UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY  MILES ###§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$$@£                   AWAY.                  £@$$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^^$@@§                                          §@@$^^^¨¨¨
¨^~^$@£### I  EXAMINED   THE  RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE ###£@$^~^¨
¨¨^^^^@§§£ ABOVE.  WAS THIS WHAT YOU  SAW OPPOSITE, £§§@^^^^¨¨
¨^~~~^^^@£ FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T £@^^^~~~^¨
¨^~^$@§§££                REMEMBER.                 ££§§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£##                                          ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£££ CARRYING  FORWARD, ON THE  VERY  TIP  OF £££§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## THE ESKER,  I  FOUND  THE RUINS  OF SOME ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@@§§§    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    §§§@@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^^$$§ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH  §$$^^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$$$$@§ THE  MOSS, AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED §@$$$$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£££ INTO  THE SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS AGAINST  THE £££§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£££              GROUND ITSELF.              £££§@$^~^¨
¨^~^^$@@§£                                          £§@@$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^@§§# SITTING THERE,  I COULD SEE  ACROSS  THE #§§@^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§£## NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO  WHERE I ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## SAT:  FROM  THE  STAIRWELL OF  MY HOUSE, ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## THROUGH THE OLD  WOODS  BEHIND  THE TILE ##£§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^$@£      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      £@$^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^~^@@§# TWENTY THREE AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER  IT, #§@@^~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~$§# THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE #§$~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$§§£ FIELDS, AND  THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE £§§$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~$$§§#                  FORK.                   #§§$$~¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§£##                                          ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## AND  THEN  THE  STAIRS UP ON  THE RIDGE. ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## THINKING  BACK,  THIS WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## HIDDEN  IN  A GROVE,  THERE  WERE STAIRS ##£§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^^@£ MUCH LIKE THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT  ON, £@^^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^@@££ OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD YOU  UP ££@@^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^^$$@§£ ONTO THE ESKER.  THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD £§@$$^^¨¨¨
¨^~^$§£### I INSTED OPTED TO  WALK  THE PATH AT ITS ###£§$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY  EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ##£§@$^~^¨
¨¨¨^^~^^$§          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          §$^^~^^¨¨¨
¨^~^$@§£##                                          ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$§£###                                          ###£§$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$@§£## BOATS. I WONDERED,  COULD THEY  EVEN SEE ##£§@$^~^¨
¨^~^$$$§§£ ME?  IF  I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY  TURN  TO £§§$$$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~^@§          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         §@^~^¨¨¨¨¨
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