*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~*
=*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~*=
$=*~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~*=$
@$=*~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~*=$@
#@$=*~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~*=$@#
##@$=*~~¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨~~*=$@##
###@$=*~~¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨~~*=$@###
##@$=*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*=$@##
#@$=*~~¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨¨¨~~*=$@#
@$=*~~¨¨¨¨ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨¨¨¨~~*=$@
$=*~~¨¨¨¨¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¨¨¨¨¨~~*=$
=*~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~*
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~