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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 ..=^*££££#
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##@£*^=... FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ...=^*£@##
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###@£*^=.. 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. ....^**£@@
###@£*^=.. ..=^*£@###
#@£*^^.... 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. .....^^*@@
#@@@£*^=.. ..=^*£@@@#
@@£***^=.. 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. ..=^*£@###
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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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