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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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