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##@&£*\»:, ,:»\*£&@##
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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. ,:»\*£&@##
##@&£*\»:, ,:»\*£&@##
&£**»,,,,, 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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