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