¨,=;%&@£## ##£@&%;=,¨
¨,=;%%%%%@ @%%%%%;=,¨
¨,=;;;%&&£ £&&%;;;=,¨
¨,=;%&@£## ##£@&%;=,¨
¨,=;%&@£## ##£@&%;=,¨
¨,=;%&@£££ 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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