#£§§*†..,, ,,..†*§§£#
£@*=.,,,,, ,,,,,.=*@£
£@§*†††=., ,.=†††*§@£
##£@§*†=., ,.=†*§@£##
@*==..,,,, ,,,,..==*@
@§*====,,, 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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