%^-~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~-^%
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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? ,,,,,,~-^%
^-~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~-^
%^-~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~-^%
§%^-~,,,,, ,,,,,~-^%§
§§%^-~,,,, ,,,,~-^%§§
#§§%^-~,,, ,,,~-^%§§#