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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.          @¶§£%†~,¨¨
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¨¨¨¨,~†%£§ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ §£%†~,¨¨¨¨
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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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