¨::=£@####                                          ####@£=::¨
¨:=:=££@@#                                          #@@££=:=:¨
¨:=:=£@###                                          ###@£=:=:¨
¨:=:=£@###                                          ###@£=:=:¨
¨:::====@#                                          #@====:::¨
¨:=:=£@###                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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