###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, WINDS ESKER ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, KEPT ME AWAY. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, BLUEBERRIES. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, AWAY. ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, REMEMBER. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, GROUND ITSELF. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, FORK. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ,,~/§$@###
##@$§/~,,, ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ,,,~/§$@##
###@$§/~,, STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ,,~/§$@###
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###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
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###@$§/~,, ,,~/§$@###
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