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¨¨:~%$£¶##                                          ##¶£$%~:¨¨
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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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