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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.              ###§£†;-^¨
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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.                   §†;;^^^¨¨¨
¨^-;£§####                                          ####§£;-^¨
¨^-;†£§### 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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