#@£&*§†-^¨                                          ¨^-†§*&£@#
#@£&*§†-^¨                                          ¨^-†§*&£@#
&§††-^^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^^-††§&
#@£&*§†-^¨                                          ¨^-†§*&£@#
##@&*§†-^¨                                          ¨^-†§*&@##
#@£&*§†-^¨                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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#@£&*§†-^¨                                          ¨^-†§*&£@#
&§--^¨¨¨¨¨ 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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