¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¤*†~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†* *†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~† †~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨