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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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@†^~~..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .....~~^†@
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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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