«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
;«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«;
§;«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«;§
¤§;«,¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«;§
¤§;«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«;§¤
§¤§;«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«;§¤§
#§¤§;«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«;§¤§#
##§¤§;«,¨¨ ¨¨,«;§¤§##
###§¤§;«,¨ ¨,«;§¤§###