¨^«^*¤¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤¤*^«^¨
¨^«^*¤¤@## ##@¤¤*^«^¨
¨^««^***¤¤ ¤¤***^««^¨
¨^«^*¤¤#@# #@#¤¤*^«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«^¤¤ ¤¤^«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«^*¤¤¤## 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? #@#¤¤*^«^¨
¨^«^*¤¤#@# #@#¤¤*^«^¨
¨^«^*¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤*^«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^¤¤@ @¤¤^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«^*¤#@## ##@#¤*^«^¨
¨^«^*¤¤¤#@ @#¤¤¤*^«^¨