@#@$*:«~¨¨ ¨¨~«:*$@#@
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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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