¨,«^*$§£@#                                          #@£§$*^«,¨
¨,«««*$§§§                                          §§§$*«««,¨
¨¨¨¨¨«^$§@                                          @§$^«¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«^*$£@##                                          ##@£$*^«,¨
¨,«^*$§£@@                                          @@£§$*^«,¨
¨,«^*$$$$£                WINDS ESKER               £$$$$*^«,¨
¨,«^*$§£## «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ##£§$*^«,¨
¨,«^*$§§£@                                          @£§§$*^«,¨
¨,«^*$£@## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR  TWO YEARS ##@£$*^«,¨
¨¨¨¨,,^$$§ 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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