#£§§%;«:¨¨ ¨¨:«;%§§£#
##£§§%;«:¨ ¨:«;%§§£##
#£§§%;«:¨¨ ¨¨:«;%§§£#
£§§%;«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«;%§§£
§§%;«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«;%§§
§%;«:¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨:«;%§§
§%;«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«;%§
%;«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«;%
;«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«;
«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: