###..##..# ..##.#..#.
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#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#..#.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#.##.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#..#.
#.#.#.#.#. 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? .#.#.#..#.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#.##.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#..#.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#.##.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#..#.
#.#.#.#.#. .#.#.#.##.