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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?          ,#,,##,,##
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