¶##&\\~~,¨ ¨,~~\\#¶
##*\\~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~\\*##
##¶#&*\~,¨ ¨,~\*¶##
##¶#&*\~,¨ ¨,~\*¶##
¶¶¶#&*\~,¨ ¨,~\*¶¶¶
#***~¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨,~\*¶¶¶
##¶#&*\~,¨ ¨,~\*¶##
¶&**~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~**&¶
##¶#&*\~,¨ ¨,~\*¶##
##¶#&*\~,¨ ¨,~\*¶##
#*\\\,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,\\\*#