..~-\§£¶##                                          ##¶£§\-~..
.~-\§£¶###                                          ###¶£§\-~.
..~-\§£¶##                                          ##¶£§\-~..
...~-\§£¶#                                          #¶£§\-~...
....~-\§£¶                                          ¶£§\-~....
...~-\§£¶#               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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