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