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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. .,«:%£¤###
###¤£%:«,. .,«:%£¤###
#£:,...... 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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