##¨##¨¨¨## ¨#¨#¨¨#¨#¨
##¨###¨¨#¨ ¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨
##¨#¨##¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨
##¨¨¨###¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨¨
###¨¨#¨##¨ #¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨¨
#¨##¨¨¨### 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? ¨¨¨¨###¨¨#
¨###¨¨¨### ¨¨¨¨#¨##¨¨
¨#¨##¨¨#¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨###¨
¨¨¨###¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨##
#¨¨#¨##¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨##
##¨¨¨###¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨#¨