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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 ..^~*£¤###
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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. .......^~*
~^........ ........^~
*~^....... 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. ........^~
*~^....... .......^~*
£*~^...... 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, .......^~*
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¤£*~^..... 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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