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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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¤¤¤*^~,,,, 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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