§%$=»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»=$%§
#§%$=»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»=$%§#
##§%$=»:¨¨ ¨¨:»=$%§##
###§%$=»:¨ ¨:»=$%§###
##§%$=»:¨¨ ¨¨:»=$%§##
#§%$=»:¨¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨¨:»=$%§#
§%$=»:¨¨¨¨ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ¨¨¨¨:»=$%§
%$=»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»=$%
$=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=$
=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=
$=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=$
%$=»:¨¨¨¨¨ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ¨¨¨¨¨:»=$%
§%$=»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»=$%§
#§%$=»:¨¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨¨:»=$%§#
##§%$=»:¨¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨¨:»=$%§##
###§%$=»:¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨:»=$%§###
##§%$=»:¨¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨¨:»=$%§##
#§%$=»:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:»=$%§#
§%$=»:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:»=$%§
%$=»:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:»=$%
$=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=$
=»:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:»=