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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. §¨§¨§¨¨§¨§
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¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§ 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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