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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? ,¤,,¤,¤,,¤
,¤¤¤¤,,¤,¤ ,¤¤,¤¤¤¤,¤
¤¤,,,¤,¤¤¤ ,¤,¤¤,,,¤¤
,,¤,,¤¤¤,, ,¤¤¤,¤,,¤,
,,¤¤,¤,,¤, ,¤,,¤¤¤,¤¤
¤,¤,¤¤¤,¤¤ ¤¤¤,¤,,¤¤,