¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~« 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? /«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«/% %/«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«/%£ £%/«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«/%£§ §£%/«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~«/%£§@ @§£%/«~¨¨¨
¨¨~«/%£§@@ @@§£%/«~¨¨