¨¨¨¨¨¨^/†* *†/^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^/† †/^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^/ /^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨