¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¤¨¨ ¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¤¨
¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¨ ¨¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¤
¤¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¤¨¨
¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¤¨
¨¨¨¨¤¨¤¤¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¤
¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨ 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? ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤¤
¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¨¨ ¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¤¨¤
¤¤¨¨¨¤¨¤¤¨ ¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¤
¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ ¤¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨¤
¨¤¤¤¨¨¨¤¨¤ ¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨¨¨
¨¤¨¤¤¨¨¨¨¤ ¤¤¤¨¨¤¨¨¨¨