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¨¨^«/§$&£#                WINDS ESKER               #£&$§/«^¨¨
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¨¨^«/§$&£#                                          #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ THERE WAS THIS  PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& I  COULDN'T GO TO.  REGARDLESS  HOW MUCH &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ DISCUSSED WITH  OTHERS, OR  POINTED  OUT £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# ON  MAPS, I COULD NOT  THINK  OF IT WHEN #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## ALONE.  I  WOULD  OFTEN  TRAVEL PAST THE ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# FORK, WHERE A  RIGHT  TURN  WOULD SURELY #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN,  SOMETHING £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$&              KEPT ME AWAY.               &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£                                          £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# WHEN  I  FINALLY  GOT  THERE, AFTER SOME #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£##     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# ASSUME,  THE   PLACE  WAS  SURREAL.   AN #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ ESKER,  LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN  RIFT OUT  IN £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& THE   LAKE,  BUT  TEN  METERS  HIGH  AND &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ ADORNED IN BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#               BLUEBERRIES.               #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£##                                          ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ NOTICE THE  VIEW TO  EITHER SIDE.  THERE £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM.  FIRST  OFF, THEY £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# WERE MUCH TOO  CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## STRETCH  FOR  A HUNDRED  METERS MORE  ON ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I  FELT I  COULD #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ ALMOST  REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH THEM. AND £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES  THEY &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#                                          #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## THEY  WERE OF  THE RIGHT  LAKE. BUT THIS ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ BIPARTITE.  LIKE  A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& INTO  THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£##     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# UNDERSTOOD  THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£                  AWAY.                   £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$&                                          &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ I  EXAMINED  THE   RIDGE,  THE  TREELINE £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# ABOVE. WAS  THIS WHAT  YOU SAW OPPOSITE, #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#                REMEMBER.                 #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£                                          £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& CARRYING  FORWARD,  ON THE  VERY  TIP OF &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ THE ESKER,  I FOUND  THE  RUINS OF  SOME £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£##  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# THE MOSS,  AND  STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ INTO  THE  SLOPE  LIKE DAMS  AGAINST THE £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$&              GROUND ITSELF.              &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£                                          £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# SITTING THERE,  I COULD  SEE ACROSS  THE #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH  TO WHERE I ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# SAT:  FROM  THE STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS  BEHIND  THE  TILE £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$&      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER IT, £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# THROUGH  THE  FANCY   VILLAS,  OVER  THE #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## FIELDS, AND  THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#                  FORK.                   #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£                                          £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& AND  THEN THE STAIRS  UP  ON  THE RIDGE. &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ THINKING  BACK,  THIS WAS  PROBABLY  IT. £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# HIDDEN  IN  A  GROVE,  THERE WERE STAIRS #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£## MUCH LIKE THE ONES I  CURRENTLY  SAT ON, ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# OLD  AND  WORN DOWN,  THAT  LEAD  YOU UP #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY.  HAD £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE PATH  AT ITS &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ FOOT,  I'M SURE  MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£#          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£##                                          ##£&$§/«^¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£                                          £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/§$& ON  THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE   IN &$§/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^«/§$&£ BOATS. I  WONDERED, COULD  THEY EVEN SEE £&$§/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/§$&£# ME? IF  I SHOUTED,  WOULD THEY  TURN  TO #£&$§/«^¨¨
¨^«/§$&£##         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          ##£&$§/«^¨
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