¨-=/†$§¶## ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=====/†§ §†/=====-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§§¶¶ ¶¶§§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## WINDS ESKER ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶¶¶ ======================================== ¶¶¶§$†/=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-/$§¶ ¶§$/-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=/†$§¶## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨¨¨¨¨--/$¶ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¶$/--¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=/†$§¶## DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ##¶§$†/=-¨
-=/†$§¶### ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ###¶§$†/=-
¨-=/†$§¶## FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨¨¨-=//$¶¶ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¶¶$//=-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=†$¶ KEPT ME AWAY. ¶$†=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶¶¶ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ¶¶¶§$†/=-¨
¨¨¨--==/$¶ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¶$/==--¨¨¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ##¶§$†/=-¨
¨¨¨--/$$§§ BLUEBERRIES. §§$$/--¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-//†$§ §$†//-¨¨¨¨
¨--==///$¶ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¶$///==--¨
¨-=/†§¶### 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 §†=-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=/†$§### BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ###§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§### ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ###§$†/=-¨
¨-====††$¶ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¶$††====-¨
¨-=/†$¶### ###¶$†/=-¨
¨¨¨==††§¶¶ ¶¶§††==¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨==†§¶ ¶§†==¨¨¨¨¨
¨-=/†$§§§¶ ¶§§§$†/=-¨
¨-=/†$§¶## ##¶§$†/=-¨