##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ KEPT ME AWAY. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ BLUEBERRIES. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ AWAY. ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ REMEMBER. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ GROUND ITSELF. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ FORK. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
¶#$†^«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«^†$#¶
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#
##¶#$†^«,¨ ¨,«^†$#¶##
#¶#$†^«,¨¨ ¨¨,«^†$#¶#