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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? ,£,£,£,£,£
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