#@¶¤^*-,¨¨ ¨¨,-*^¤¶@#
##@¶¤^*-,¨ ¨,-*^¤¶@##
#@¶¤^*-,¨¨ ¨¨,-*^¤¶@#
@¶¤^*-,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,-*^¤¶@
¶¤^*-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-*^¤¶
¤^*-,¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,