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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?          ¨~-^*£§###
###§£*^-~¨                                          ¨~-^*£§###
###§£*^-~¨                                          ¨~-^*£§###
#§£^-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-^£§#
###§£*^-~¨                                          ¨~-^*£§###
#£^-¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨-^£#