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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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