¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¤¤¨¤¨¤¤
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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? ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¤
¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¨ ¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¨¤