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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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