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&£§†«,,,,, ,,,,,«†§£&
£§†«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«†§£
§†«,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,«†§
£§†«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«†§£
&£§†«,,,,, winds esker ,,,,,«†§£&
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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. ,,,,,,,«†§
£§†«,,,,,, ,,,,,,«†§£
&£§†«,,,,, 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. ,,,«†§£&##
###&£§†«,, ,,«†§£&###
##&£§†«,,, 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. ,,,«†§£&##
###&£§†«,, ,,«†§£&###
##&£§†«,,, «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ,,,«†§£&##
#&£§†«,,,, ,,,,«†§£&#
&£§†«,,,,, 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? ,,,,,,«†§£
&£§†«,,,,, ,,,,,«†§£&
#&£§†«,,,, ,,,,«†§£&#
##&£§†«,,, ,,,«†§£&##
###&£§†«,, ,,«†§£&###
##&£§†«,,, ,,,«†§£&##