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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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