¨^-^%¤#### ####¤%^-^¨
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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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