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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 ¨¨¨¨¨-:£@#
##@#£$:~-¨ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨-~:$£#@##
##@#£$:~-¨ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¨-~:$£#@##
#$:::~~¨¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨¨¨~~:::$#
##@#£$:~-¨ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨-~:$£#@##
##@#£$:~-¨ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨-~:$£#@##
##@#£$:~-¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨-~:$£#@##
##@#£$:~-¨ ¨-~:$£#@##
##@#£$:~-¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨-~:$£#@##
####£$:~-¨ ¨-~:$£####
##@#£$:~-¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨-~:$£#@##
##@#£$:~-¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨-~:$£#@##
###@#£:~-¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨-~:£#@###
#£$~-¨¨¨¨¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨¨¨¨¨-~$£#
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