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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. ¨~«;%@¶###
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#¶@%;«~¨¨¨ 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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