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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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