£¨££¨¨£¨£¨ ¨£££¨££¨¨£
£¨¨£¨££¨£¨ £¨££¨¨£¨£¨
£¨££¨¨£¨£¨ £¨¨£¨££¨£¨
£¨¨£¨££¨£¨ £¨££¨¨£¨£¨
£¨££¨¨£¨£¨ £¨¨£¨££¨£¨
£¨¨£¨££¨£¨ 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? £¨¨£¨££¨£¨
£¨¨£¨££¨£¨ £¨££¨¨£¨£¨
£¨££¨¨£¨£¨ £¨¨£¨££¨£¨
£¨¨£¨££¨£¨ £¨££¨¨£¨£¨
£¨££¨¨£¨£¨ £¨¨£¨££¨£¨
£¨¨£¨££¨£¨ £¨££¨¨£¨£¨