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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? ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤
¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤
¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤
¨¤¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤
¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤