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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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£*%%«..... .....«%%*£
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