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