#@#%%/-,¨¨ ¨¨,-/%%#@#
##@#%%/-,¨ ¨,-/%%#@##
#@#%%/-,¨¨ ¨¨,-/%%#@#
@#%%/-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-/%%#@
#%%/-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-/%%#
%%/-,¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/%
/-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-/
-,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,-
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨