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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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