¨¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨ ##¨##¨#¨¨¨
¨##¨####¨# ¨##¨###¨¨¨
#¨##¨¨¨##¨ #¨##¨¨#¨¨¨
##¨#¨¨#¨#¨ ##¨#¨##¨¨#
¨###¨####¨ ¨####¨#¨#¨
#¨¨##¨¨¨## 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? ##¨¨¨##¨¨¨
¨#¨¨¨¨¨##¨ ¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨#
##¨¨¨¨#¨#¨ ##¨####¨##
¨#¨¨¨##### ¨##¨¨¨##¨¨
##¨¨#¨¨¨¨# #¨#¨¨#¨#¨¨
¨#¨##¨¨¨#¨ ###¨####¨#