¤¨¤¤¤¨¤¨¨¨ ¨¤¨¨¨¤¨¨¤¨
¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤ ¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¤¤¤
¨¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¤ ¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¨
¤¤¤¤¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¤¤¤¤¤¨¤¨¨¨
¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¤ ¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤
¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¤¨ 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? ¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¨
¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨¤¨
¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¨
¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¨
¨¨¤¨¤¨¨¨¤¤ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¨
¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¤ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¤¨