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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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