¨¨¨¨,:§§@@ @@§§:,¨¨¨¨
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¨,«:§£@¶@# #@¶@£§:«,¨
¨,«:§£@¶@# WINDS ESKER #@¶@£§:«,¨
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¨,«:§£@¶@# #@¶@£§:«,¨
¨,«:§£@¶@@ 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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