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###£%$:~-¨               WINDS ESKER                ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨-~:$%£###
#£$$$$:~-¨                                          ¨-~:$$$$£#
#%$:~¨¨¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO  YEARS ¨¨¨¨¨~:$%#
££$$~-¨¨¨¨ I  COULDN'T  GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH ¨¨¨¨-~$$££
###£%$:~-¨ DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS,  OR  POINTED OUT ¨-~:$%£###
#£$~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ON MAPS,  I COULD NOT  THINK  OF IT WHEN ¨¨¨¨¨¨~$£#
#£%$:-¨¨¨¨ ALONE.  I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL PAST THE ¨¨¨¨-:$%£#
#%:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT  TURN  WOULD  SURELY ¨¨¨¨¨¨-:%#
###£%$:~-¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT  EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨-~:$%£###
£$:~-¨¨¨¨¨               KEPT ME AWAY.              ¨¨¨¨¨-~:$£
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###£%$:~-¨ WHEN  I FINALLY  GOT THERE,  AFTER  SOME ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¨-~:$%£###
####%$:~-¨ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE   WAS  SURREAL.  AN ¨-~:$%####
###£%$:~-¨ ESKER, LIKE  A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT  OUT  IN ¨-~:$%£###
££$:--¨¨¨¨ THE  LAKE,   BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH  AND ¨¨¨¨--:$££
###£%$:~-¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW,  BRACKEN,  AND ¨-~:$%£###
££%$::~~-¨               BLUEBERRIES.               ¨-~~::$%££
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#££%$:--¨¨ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO ¨¨--:$%££#
###£%$:~-¨ NOTICE  THE VIEW  TO EITHER SIDE.  THERE ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I ¨-~:$%£###
#%%%%$:~-¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST  OFF, THEY ¨-~:$%%%%#
£%$~~¨¨¨¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS  THE LAKE SHOULD ¨¨¨¨¨~~$%£
###£%$:~-¨ STRETCH  FOR  A  HUNDRED  METERS MORE ON ¨-~:$%£###
##%:-¨¨¨¨¨ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I FELT  I  COULD ¨¨¨¨¨-:%##
###£%$:~-¨ ALMOST  REACH OUT  AND  TOUCH  THEM. AND ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH  SHORES THEY ¨-~:$%£###
####%$:~-¨           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ¨-~:$%####
#£%%$:---¨                                          ¨---:$%%£#
###£%$:~-¨ THEY WERE  OF THE RIGHT  LAKE. BUT  THIS ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      ¨-~:$%£###
£%:~¨¨¨¨¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE  A PAIR OF LUNGS  CARVED ¨¨¨¨¨¨~:%£
#%$$$~¨¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨-~$$$£
####£%$~-¨ THE  ESKER, I  FOUND THE RUINS  OF  SOME ¨-~$%£####
££$~----¨¨    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    ¨¨----~$££
###£%$:~-¨  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ THE  MOSS,  AND  STRANGE SLABS  INSERTED ¨-~:$%£###
##££%$:~-¨ INTO THE  SLOPE LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST  THE ¨-~:$%££##
£%:--¨¨¨¨¨              GROUND ITSELF.              ¨¨¨¨¨--:%£
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###£%$:~-¨ SITTING  THERE, I COULD SEE  ACROSS  THE ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ NARROWED LAKE MY  ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨-~:$%£###
####£%$~-¨ SAT:  FROM  THE  STAIRWELL OF  MY HOUSE, ¨-~$%£####
##£$:~-¨¨¨ THROUGH THE  OLD  WOODS  BEHIND THE TILE ¨¨¨-~:$£##
###£%$:~-¨      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      ¨-~:$%£###
#£$~~-¨¨¨¨ TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER IT, ¨¨¨¨-~~$£#
###£%$:~-¨ THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT  TURN AT THE ¨-~:$%£###
#%::-¨¨¨¨¨                  FORK.                   ¨¨¨¨¨-::%#
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£%:~-¨¨¨¨¨ AND  THEN THE  STAIRS UP  ON THE  RIDGE. ¨¨¨¨¨-~:%£
###£%$:~-¨ THINKING  BACK,  THIS  WAS  PROBABLY IT. ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ HIDDEN  IN A  GROVE,  THERE  WERE STAIRS ¨-~:$%£###
###£%$:~-¨ MUCH LIKE  THE  ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨-~:$%£###
#£%::----¨ OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD  YOU UP ¨----::%£#
###£%$:~-¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT  OF ENTRY. HAD ¨-~:$%£###
##££%$:~-¨ I  INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT  ITS ¨-~:$%££##
££%$$$:~-¨ 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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