¨£¨¨¨£¨£££ £¨¨£¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨£¨¨¨¨£¨£ ¨£¨¨£¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨£¨¨¨¨¨£ ¨¨£¨¨£¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨£¨¨¨¨£ ¨¨¨£¨¨£¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨£¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨£¨¨£¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨£¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨£¨££¨¨¨¨
¨£¨¨¨¨¨¨£¨ ¨¨¨¨£££¨¨¨
¨¨£¨¨¨¨¨¨£ £¨¨¨£¨££¨¨
¨¨¨£¨¨¨¨¨¨ ££¨¨¨¨£££¨
¨¨¨¨£¨¨¨¨¨ £££¨¨¨£¨££
£¨¨¨¨£¨¨¨¨ £¨££¨¨¨¨££