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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. ,,,,,,,,,.
=.,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,.=
†=.,,,,,,, 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. ,,,.=†**¶#
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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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