¨¨¨¨¨.~=$# #$=~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=$ $=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~= =~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ WINDS ESKER ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~= ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=$ $=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~=$# 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 $=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~= BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE =~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~ ~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~= =~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.~=$ $=~.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.~=$# #$=~.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.~=$#@ @#$=~.¨¨¨¨