,#,,#,#,,, ##,#####,#
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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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