###£%/»-¨¨ ¨¨-»/%£###
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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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»
/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/
%/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/%
£%/»-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-»/%£
#£%/»-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-»/%£#
##£%/»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»/%£##