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,,,,,,,,,, WINDS ESKER ,,,,,,,,,,
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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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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^,,,,,,,,, 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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