¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:» »:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»^ ^»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:»^* *^»:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨:»^*@ @*^»:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:»^*@& 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? @*^»:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨:»^*@& &@*^»:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:»^*@ #&@*^»:¨¨¨
¨¨:»^*@# ##&@*^»:¨¨
¨:»^*@## ###&@*^»:¨
¨¨:»^*@# ##&@*^»:¨¨