#@§$§†~.¨¨ ¨¨.~†§$§@#
@§$§†~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~†§$§@
§$§†~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~†§$§
$§†~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~†§$
§†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†§
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†§
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†