==~,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~==
=~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~=
~,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,~
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨