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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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