¨#¨#¨¨##¨# ¨¨¨¨¨#####
#####¨#¨## ¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨
#¨¨¨¨####¨ ¨¨¨¨¨##¨¨¨
##¨¨¨#¨¨¨# #¨¨¨¨#¨#¨¨
#¨#¨¨##¨¨# ¨#¨¨¨####¨
####¨#¨#¨# 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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