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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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¨¨¨¨^«^†%£                                          £%†^«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«^†%                                          %†^«^¨¨¨¨¨