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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 £§£†;»~¨¨¨
¨¨~»;†£§£# REMEMBER. #£§£†;»~¨¨
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¨¨~»;†£§£# 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. »~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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 #£§£†;»~¨¨
¨¨¨~»;†£§£ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE £§£†;»~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~»;†£§ FORK. §£†;»~¨¨¨¨
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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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¨¨¨¨~»;†£§ 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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