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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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, 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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