##....#... ..#..#.##.
###....#.. ...#...##.
#.##....#. #...#..##.
..###....# ##...#.##.
..#.##.... ###....###
#...###... 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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