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¶$$==.¨¨¨¨ I Couldn'T Go To. Regardless How Much ¨¨¨¨.==$$¶
@£$$===-.¨ Discussed With Others, Or Pointed Out ¨.-===$$£@
@¶$$$==-.¨ On Maps, I Could Not Think Of It When ¨.-==$$$¶@
##@£$==-.¨ Alone. I Would Often Travel Past The ¨.-==$£@##
@¶££$==-.¨ Fork, Where A Right Turn Would Surely ¨.-==$££¶@
¶¶¶£$==-.¨ Take Me There, But Even Then, Something ¨.-==$£¶¶¶
#@¶£$==-.¨ Kept Me Away. ¨.-==$£¶@#
##@£$==-.¨ ¨.-==$£@##
##@£$==-.¨ When I Finally Got There, After Some ¨.-==$£@##
#@¶£$==-.¨ Heavy Subconscious Battle I Must ¨.-==$£¶@#
¶$====.¨¨¨ Assume, The Place Was Surreal. An ¨¨¨.====$¶
¶¶$===--.¨ Esker, Like A Needle-Thin Rift Out In ¨.--===$¶¶
#@¶£$==-.¨ The Lake, But Ten Meters High And ¨.-==$£¶@#
##@¶$==-.¨ Adorned In Birch, Willow, Bracken, And ¨.-==$¶@##
£$==.¨¨¨¨¨ Blueberries. ¨¨¨¨¨.==$£
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¶£$=----.¨ Notice The View To Either Side. There ¨.----=$£¶
¶£===-¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨--=££
¶£$$=..¨¨¨ Understood Them As Belonging Many Miles ¨¨¨..=$$£¶
#@¶£$==-.¨ Away. ¨.-==$£¶@#
¶¶$=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=$¶¶
#@¶£$==-.¨ I Examined The Ridge, The Treeline ¨.-==$£¶@#
££$$$==-.¨ Above. Was This What You Saw Opposite, ¨.-==$$$££
#@¶£$==-.¨ From Those Other Shores? I Couldn'T ¨.-==$£¶@#
£=-..¨¨¨¨¨ 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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