##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
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#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ KEPT ME AWAY. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ BLUEBERRIES. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ AWAY. ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ REMEMBER. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ GROUND ITSELF. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ FORK. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
##@@¤$=~-¨ ¨-~=$¤@@##
#@@¤$=~-¨¨ ¨¨-~=$¤@@#
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