##£§§§†=,,                                          ,,=†§§§£##
##§§===,,,                                          ,,,===§§##
###£§§†=,,                                          ,,=†§§£###
££§===,,,,                                          ,,,,===§££
###£§§†=,,                                          ,,=†§§£###
###£§§†=,,               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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###£§§†=,,                                          ,,=†§§£###
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###£§§†=,,                                          ,,=†§§£###