¨¨£¨££££¨£ £¨£££££££¨
¨££¨¨£££¨£ £¨¨££££££¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£ £¨£¨£££££¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£ £¨£¨¨££££¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£ £¨£¨£¨£££¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£ 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? £¨£¨£¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£ £¨£¨£¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£ £¨£¨£¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£ £¨£¨£¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨££¨£ £¨£¨£¨£¨£¨
£¨£¨£¨¨£¨£ £¨£¨£¨£¨£¨