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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.               .:-;†%£¶##
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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.                   ....:-;†%£
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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 .:-;†%£¶¶#
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£%;-...... BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN  SEE ......-;%£
£†;:...... ME? IF I  SHOUTED,  WOULD  THEY  TURN TO ......:;†£
##¶£%†;-:.         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          .:-;†%£¶##
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