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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. ###,,#,##,
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#,,,###,,# 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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