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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.           ,,,,«^^%%£
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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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###£%$^«-, CARRYING  FORWARD, ON  THE VERY  TIP  OF ,-«^$%£###
##££%$^«-, THE  ESKER, I FOUND  THE  RUINS OF  SOME ,-«^$%££##
##££%$^«-,    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ,-«^$%££##
##££%$^«-,  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,-«^$%££##
££%$^««-,, THE MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED ,,-««^$%££
£%%$«,,,,, INTO  THE SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST THE ,,,,,«$%%£
##££%$^«-,              GROUND ITSELF.              ,-«^$%££##
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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      ,,,--«^%££
££$$$$^«-, TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER IT, ,-«^$$$$££
##££%$^«-, THROUGH  THE  FANCY  VILLAS,   OVER  THE ,-«^$%££##
##££%$^«-, FIELDS, AND THEN  THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,-«^$%££##
£££$^^«,,,                   FORK.                  ,,,«^^$£££
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££££%$^«-, AND  THEN  THE STAIRS UP ON  THE  RIDGE. ,-«^$%££££
££$$««--,, 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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