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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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