£¤%;=.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.=;%¤£
¤%;=.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.=;%¤
%;=.¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨.=;%
;=.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.=;
=.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.=
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨