##¶@£†^~-¨                                          ¨-~^†£@¶##
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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?         ¨-~^†£@¶##
¶£†~-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-~†£¶
##¶@£†^~-¨                                          ¨-~^†£@¶##
@@£††~¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨~††£@@
###@£†^~-¨                                          ¨-~^†£@###
##¶@£†^~-¨                                          ¨-~^†£@¶##