##£&@%:=-¨ ¨-=:%@&£##
#£&@%:=-¨¨ ¨¨-=:%@&£#
£&@%:=-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-=:%@&£
&@%:=-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-=:%@&
@%:=-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-=:%@
%:=-¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=:
=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨