¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨,~/%£@
#@#&£%/~,¨ ¨,~/%£@#
@#&£%/~,¨¨ ¨¨,~/%£@
#&£%/~,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,~/%£
&£%/~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~/%£&
£%/~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~/%£