#,,,###### ,,,#####,,
,,#,,##### ##,,###,,,
#,,,,,###, ,,,,,#,,##
,,###,,#,, ####,,,,,#
,,,#,,,,,, ,##,,###,,
##,,,##### 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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