#@£&^=~^.. ..^~=^&£@#
##@£&^=~^. .^~=^&£@##
#@£&^=~^.. ..^~=^&£@#
@£&^=~^... ...^~=^&£@
#@£&^=~^.. ..^~=^&£@#
##@£&^=~^. 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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