##@@#§†»-¨ ¨-»†§#@@##
##@@#§*»-¨ ¨-»*§#@@##
##@#§*†»-¨ ¨-»†*§#@##
@§§*»»»-¨¨ ¨¨-»»»*§§@
###§†††»-¨ ¨-»†††§###
#*††-¨¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨-»†*§#@##
##§§*»-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-»*§§##
#@@#§*†»-¨ ¨-»†*§#@@#
#§***»¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨»***§#
##@#§*†»-¨ ¨-»†*§#@##
#@@#§*†»-¨ ¨-»†*§#@@#