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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. ##..#.##..
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#.#..#.#.# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ##..#.##..
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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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