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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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...^-†=¤## ##¤=†-^...