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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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