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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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