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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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