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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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