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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. ,,,,,,,,~†
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,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,~†%
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~,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,~
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~,,,,,,,,, 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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