¨^~%*#£@## ##@£#*%~^¨
¨¨^~%*#£@# #@£#*%~^¨¨
¨¨¨^~%*#£@ @£#*%~^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~%*#£ £#*%~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~%*# #*%~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~%* 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨