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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? ,~-*$$£££&
###&£$*-~, ,~-*$£##
#&£$**--~, ,~--**$£
#@#&£$*-~, ,~-*$£@#
@#£$$-~~,, ,,~~-$$£#@
##@#&£$-~, ,~-$£@##