¨-=†^%£@## ##@£%^†=-¨
¨¨-=†^%£@# #@£%^†=-¨¨
¨¨¨-=†^%£@ @£%^†=-¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=†^%£ £%^†=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-=†^% %^†=-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†^ 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? %^†=-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-=†^%£ £%^†=-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-=†^%£@ @£%^†=-¨¨¨
¨¨-=†^%£@# #@£%^†=-¨¨
¨-=†^%£@## ##@£%^†=-¨
¨¨-=†^%£@# #@£%^†=-¨¨