¤§^*=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=*^§¤
§^*=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=*^§
^*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*^
*=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=*
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨~=*^§¤
@¤§^*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*^§¤@
@@¤§^*=~¨¨ ¨¨~=*^§¤@@
#@@¤§^*=~¨ ¨~=*^§¤@@#
@@¤§^*=~¨¨ ¨¨~=*^§¤@@
@¤§^*=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=*^§¤@