##¨¨¨¨##¨¨ ##¨¨#¨¨¨#¨
###¨¨¨###¨ ###¨¨#¨¨¨¨
#¨##¨¨#¨## #¨##¨¨#¨¨¨
¨¨###¨¨¨## ¨¨###¨¨#¨¨
¨¨#¨##¨¨#¨ ¨¨#¨##¨¨#¨
¨¨¨¨###¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨###¨¨¨#¨
¨¨¨¨###¨¨¨ ¨¨#¨##¨¨¨#
#¨¨¨#¨##¨¨ #¨¨¨###¨¨¨
¨#¨¨¨¨###¨ ¨#¨¨#¨##¨¨
¨¨#¨¨¨#¨## ¨¨#¨¨¨###¨
¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨## #¨¨#¨¨#¨##