¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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 $*^»~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~»^* MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, *^»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»^ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ^»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~» ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD »~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~» »~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~»^ ^»~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~»^* *^»~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~»^*$ $*^»~¨¨¨¨¨