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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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