¨¨¨¨¨,«^##                                          ##^«,¨¨¨¨¨
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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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