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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. #&&&£=;~~¨
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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. #£;~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~;=£## ###&£=;~~¨
¨~~;;=£££& 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. ###&£=;~~¨
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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. #£;;~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~;=£## ###&£=;~~¨
¨~~;=£## 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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