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