¨¨¨¨¨¨»:¤& &¤:»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,:§¤¤¤& &¤¤¤§:,¨¨¨
¨,»:§¤## ###&¤§:»,¨
¨,»:§¤@# #@#&¤§:»,¨
¨,»:§¤¤¤&@ @&¤¤¤§:»,¨
¨,»:§¤## 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? #&§§»¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:§¤&# ##&&¤§:»,¨
¨,»:§¤#@## ##@#¤§:»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,:¤&& &&¤:,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»:§¤@@ @@#&¤§:»,¨
¨,»:§¤¤&&@ @&&¤¤§:»,¨