¤%%%%%\«,, ,,«\%%%%%¤
##£¤§%\«,, ,,«\%§¤£##
##£¤§%\«,, ,,«\%§¤£##
##£¤§%\«,, ,,«\%§¤£##
##£¤§%\«,, ,,«\%§¤£##
##£¤§%\«,, 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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