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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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