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¨^«;*@§£##                                          ##£§@*;«^¨
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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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