#¨###¨¨¨#¨ ¨¨¨##¨##¨#
#¨#¨##¨¨¨# ¨¨¨##¨##¨#
#¨¨¨###¨¨¨ ¨¨¨##¨##¨#
##¨¨#¨##¨¨ #¨¨##¨##¨#
¨##¨¨¨###¨ ##¨##¨##¨#
¨###¨¨#¨## 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? #¨¨#¨##¨¨¨
#¨##¨¨¨### ##¨¨¨###¨¨
¨¨###¨¨#¨# ###¨¨#¨##¨
¨¨#¨##¨¨¨# #¨##¨¨¨###
#¨¨¨###¨¨# ¨¨###¨¨#¨#
##¨¨#¨##¨¨ ¨¨#¨##¨¨¨#