¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:† †:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=:†$ $†:=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=:†$@ @$†:=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,=:†$@# #@$†:=,¨¨¨
¨¨,=:†$@## ##@$†:=,¨¨
¨,=:†$@### 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? ##@$†:=,¨¨
¨,=:†$@### ###@$†:=,¨
¨¨,=:†$@## ##@$†:=,¨¨
¨¨¨,=:†$@# #@$†:=,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,=:†$@ @$†:=,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=:†$ $†:=,¨¨¨¨¨