†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~
†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†
§†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†
§†~~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~~†§
%§†~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~†§%
¤%§†~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~†§%¤
#¤%§†~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~†§%¤#
##¤%§†~~¨¨ ¨¨~~†§%¤##