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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. ;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~;= =;~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~;=¤ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¤=;~:¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨:~;=¤£@ 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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