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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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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-^,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,^-
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,,,,,,,,,, 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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