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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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