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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. ¨¨¨^^::¤##
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##£#¤^:-^¨ 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. ¨^-:^¤#£##
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##£#¤^:-^¨ 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. ¨^-:^¤#£##
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##£#¤^:-^¨ 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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