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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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