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#####,,#,, ,,#,,,,,,#
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,##,,##### ,,#,,##,,,
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,####,,#,, 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. ##,,,,##,,
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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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,,,##,,,,# ########,,