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#¶@%«..... .....«%@¶#
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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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