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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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,,,¤,,¤,¤¤ ,¤¤,,¤,¤¤,
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