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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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