@&%/«.,,,, ,,,,.«/%&@
&%/«.,,,,, ,,,,,.«/%&
%/«.,,,,,, ,,,,,,.«/%
&%/«.,,,,, ,,,,,.«/%&
@&%/«.,,,, ,,,,.«/%&@
#@&%/«.,,, 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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