@¤*==,,,,, ,,,,,==*¤@
##@£¤*\=,, ,,=\*¤£@##
@¤\,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,\¤@
##@£¤*\=,, ,,=\*¤£@##
#££¤\\\=,, ,,=\\\¤££#
@£*=,,,,,, 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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