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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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