¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^« «^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^« «^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^ ^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^«^* *^«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«^*& &*^«^¨¨¨¨¨