¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
†«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«†
^†«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨:«†^§
¤§^†«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«†^§¤
¶¤§^†«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«†^§¤¶
#¶¤§^†«:¨¨ ¨¨:«†^§¤¶#
##¶¤§^†«:¨ ¨:«†^§¤¶##
#¶¤§^†«:¨¨ ¨¨:«†^§¤¶#