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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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