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§:«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«:§
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#¤£§:«:¨¨¨ 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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