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.:«:^£§¶##                                          ##¶§£^:«:.
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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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