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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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