¨~»=****#@ @#****=»~¨
¨~»=*¤#¶¶¶ ¶¶¶#¤*=»~¨
~»=*¤#¶@## ##@¶#¤*=»~
¨~»=*¤#¶@# #@¶#¤*=»~¨
¨¨¨¨»»==¤# #¤==»»¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=¤¶@ 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? ¶¶¤¤=~¨¨¨¨
¨~»=¤#¶@## ##@¶#¤=»~¨
¨~»=*¤#¶@@ @@¶#¤*=»~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=¤#@ @#¤=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨»»=*#¶¶ ¶¶#*=»»¨¨¨
¨~»=*¤#¶@# #@¶#¤*=»~¨