@#@†/»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»/†@#@
#@†/»-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-»/†@#
@†/»-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-»/†@
†/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/†
/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/
†/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨-»/†@#@
#@†/»-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-»/†@#
@†/»-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-»/†@
†/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/†
/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/
†/»-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-»/†