¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^» 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? ^»^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^»^* *^»^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^»^*£ £*^»^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^»^*£§ §£*^»^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^»^*£§# #§£*^»^¨¨¨
¨¨^»^*£§#@ @#§£*^»^¨¨