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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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