¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^% %^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^%$ $%^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%$£ £$%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^%$£@ @£$%^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^%$£@# 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. #@£$%^«,¨¨
¨¨¨,«^%$£@ @£$%^«,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%$£ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« £$%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^%$ $%^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^% ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN %^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,« ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO «,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,«^% %^«,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,«^%$ $%^«,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%$£ £$%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,«^%$£@ @£$%^«,¨¨¨
¨¨,«^%$£@# #@£$%^«,¨¨