¨:»†$¤@@@@ @@@@¤$†»:¨
¨:»†¤@@@## ##@@@¤†»:¨
¨:»»»†¤@@@ @@@¤†»»»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨::»$@ @$»::¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:»$@ @$»:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»†$¤@@@@ WINDS ESKER @@@@¤$†»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»$$@ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» @$$»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»»†$$@ @$$†»»¨¨¨¨
¨:»†$¤@@## THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ##@@¤$†»:¨
¨¨:»»†$$@@ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH @@$$†»»:¨¨
¨¨¨¨»»†¤@@ 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? @@@$$††»:¨
¨¨¨¨:††$@@ @@$††:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»»$$@@ @@$$»»¨¨¨¨
¨:»†$¤@@@# #@@@¤$†»:¨
¨¨¨»††¤@@@ @@@¤††»¨¨¨
¨¨¨:†$¤@@@ @@@¤$†:¨¨¨