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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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