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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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=^
=^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^=
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨