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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. ##@@§\«:..
.:«\§@@### ###@@§\«:.
..:«\§@@## 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. ##@@§\«:..
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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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