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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.          ###£*%/«~¨
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¨~«/%*£¶¶# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #¶¶£*%/«~¨
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¨~«/%*£### 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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