¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨ ¨¨¨@¨@¨¨@@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨ ¨¨@@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨ ¨@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨ @@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨ ¨@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨ 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? ¨@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨ @@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨ ¨@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨ @@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨@@¨ ¨@¨@¨@¨@¨@
¨@¨@¨@¨¨@¨ @@¨@¨@¨@¨@