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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 ¨¨¨~†$$$¤¤
##£¤%$†~,¨ FOOT,  I'M  SURE  MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨,~†$%¤£##
##£¤%$†~,¨          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          ¨,~†$%¤£##
##£¤%$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$%¤£##
¤%$~,,,¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨,,,~$%¤
£££¤%$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$%¤£££
##£¤%$†~,¨ ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN ¨,~†$%¤£##
###£¤$†~,¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD  THEY  EVEN SEE ¨,~†$¤£###
¤$††~~,,¨¨ ME?  IF I  SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY TURN  TO ¨¨,,~~††$¤
##£¤%$†~,¨         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ¨,~†$%¤£##
#££¤%$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$%¤££#
##£¤%$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$%¤£##
££%†,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,†%££
¤$$†~¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨~†$$¤
##£¤%$†~,¨                                          ¨,~†$%¤£##