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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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