¨¨.«†%$&## ##&$%†«.¨¨
¨.«†%$&### ###&$%†«.¨
¨¨.«†%$&## ##&$%†«.¨¨
¨¨¨.«†%$&# #&$%†«.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨.«†%$& &$%†«.¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.«†%$ 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? %†«.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.«† †«.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.« «.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨