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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.               §§§§£*:«~¨
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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.           §*:::~¨¨¨¨
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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.                   #££::~¨¨¨¨
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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.                 §**:::««~¨
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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.                   ###£§*:«~¨
¨¨¨¨~:£§£#                                          #£§£:~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~««:£§£ 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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