¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»
;»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»
;»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»;
%;»~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~»;%
@%;»~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~»;%@
#@%;»~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~»;%@#
@#@%;»~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~»;%@#@