¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ WINDS ESKER @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* KEPT ME AWAY. *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* BLUEBERRIES. *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# WERE, I HAD TO STOP. #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# AWAY. #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ REMEMBER. @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ GROUND ITSELF. @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## FORK. ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨,»:$*@@## ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ##@@*$:»,¨
¨¨,»:$*@@# STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? #@@*$:»,¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ @@*$:»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,»:$* *$:»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,»:$*@ @*$:»,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,»:$*@@ @@*$:»,¨¨¨