¨^=†$$¤### ###¤$$†=^¨
¨^=†$¤@### ###@¤$†=^¨
¨^=†$$¤@## ##@¤$$†=^¨
¨¨¨¨^=$$$¤ ¤$$$=^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^==†$¤@ @¤$†==^¨¨¨
¨^=†$$¤### WINDS ESKER ###¤$$†=^¨
¨¨¨^†$$$¤# ======================================== #¤$$$†^¨¨¨
¨^=†$$¤@## ##@¤$$†=^¨
¨^^^†††$¤¤ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¤¤$†††^^^¨
¨¨^==†$¤@@ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH @@¤$†==^¨¨
¨^=†$$¤@@@ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT @@@¤$$†=^¨
¨^=†$$¤### ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ###¤$$†=^¨
¨¨¨¨^†$¤¤@ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE @¤¤$†^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^††††$@ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY @$††††^¨¨¨
¨^=†$$¤@## TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ##@¤$$†=^¨
¨^=†$$¤@## KEPT ME AWAY. ##@¤$$†=^¨
¨^=†$$$$@@ @@$$$$†=^¨
¨^=†$$¤### 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? #¤$$†=^¨¨¨
¨^=†$$¤@## ##@¤$$†=^¨
¨^===$$¤¤# #¤¤$$===^¨
¨^=†$$$$¤@ @¤$$$$†=^¨
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¨^=†$$¤@## ##@¤$$†=^¨