¨,==%§§@## ##@§§%==,¨
¨¨,==%§§@# #@§§%==,¨¨
¨¨¨,==%§§@ @§§%==,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,==%§§ §§%==,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,==%§ §%==,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,==% 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? §%==,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,==% %==,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,== ==,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,= =,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨