¨¨¨:~†$@¤£ £¤@$†~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~†$@¤£# #£¤@$†~:¨¨
¨:~†$@¤£## ##£¤@$†~:¨
¨¨:~†$@¤£# #£¤@$†~:¨¨
¨¨¨:~†$@¤£ £¤@$†~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~†$@¤ WINDS ESKER ¤@$†~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~†$@ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @$†~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~†$ $†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~† THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS †~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ KEPT ME AWAY. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~† HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST †~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~†$ 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 $†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~† ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD †~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~† STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? †~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~†$ $†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:~†$@ @$†~:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:~†$@¤ ¤@$†~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~†$@¤£ £¤@$†~:¨¨¨
¨¨:~†$@¤£# #£¤@$†~:¨¨