,¤,¤,,,,,¤ ,,,,¤¤,¤¤¤
¤¤¤¤,,,,¤, ,,,¤,¤¤,,¤
,,,¤,,,¤¤¤ ,,¤¤¤,¤,¤,
,,¤¤,,¤,,, ,¤,,¤¤¤¤¤,
,¤,¤,¤¤,,, ¤¤,¤,,,,¤,
¤¤¤¤¤,¤,,, 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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