##**-,,,,, ,,,,,-**##
##£#**†-~, ,~-†**#£##
##£#**†-~, ,~-†**#£##
£###**†-~, ,~-†**###£
##£#**†-~, ,~-†**#£##
£#*†----~, WINDS ESKER ,~----†*#£
##**†~~,,, ---------------------------------------- ,,,~~†**##
##***-,,,, ,,,,-***##
#£#***†-~, 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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####**†-~, ,~-†**####