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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. @£;.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~$££§@ HIDDEN IN  A GROVE,  THERE  WERE  STAIRS @§££$~~¨¨¨
¨.~;$§@### MUCH LIKE THE ONES  I  CURRENTLY SAT ON, ###@§$;~.¨
¨.~;;;$§@@ OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN,  THAT LEAD  YOU UP @@§$;;;~.¨
¨.~;$£§@## ONTO THE  ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ##@§£$;~.¨
¨.~;$£§@@# I INSTED  OPTED  TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS #@@§£$;~.¨
¨.~;$$££@# FOOT,  I'M  SURE MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE #@££$$;~.¨
¨.~;$£§@##          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ##@§£$;~.¨
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¨.~;$£§### ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ###§£$;~.¨
¨.~;$£§@##                                          ##@§£$;~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~~$§ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN §$~~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~;$£§@## BOATS. I  WONDERED,  COULD THEY EVEN SEE ##@§£$;~.¨
¨¨¨~;$$§§# ME?  IF I  SHOUTED, WOULD  THEY TURN  TO #§§$$;~¨¨¨
¨.~;$£§@##          STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?         ##@§£$;~.¨
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