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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.           ££†;;~,,,,
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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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