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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.               ##¶£%†-:¨¨
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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.           ###¶£%†-:¨
¨¨:-†%£¶##                                          ##¶£%†-:¨¨
¨¨¨:-†%£¶# 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.                  ¶£%†-:¨¨¨¨
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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 #¶£%†-:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:-†%£¶          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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