¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¤¨¨ ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨
¨¨¨¤¨¤¤¤¨¤ ¨¤¨¨¨¤¨¤¨¨
¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨
¨¤¨¨¤¨¤¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¤¨¨¨¤¨¨
¤¤¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨ ¤¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¨ 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? ¨¤¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¤
¤¤¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤ ¤¤¨¤¤¨¨¨¤¤
¨¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¤¨ ¨¤¤¨¤¨¨¤¨¨
¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¤¤¨ ¤¨¤¤¤¨¤¤¨¨
¤¤¤¤¨¤¤¨¤¨ ¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¤¨¤
¨¨¨¤¤¨¤¤¤¨ ¨¤¨¤¨¤¤¤¤¨