#§*%^~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~^%*§#
##§*%^~.¨¨ ¨¨.~^%*§##
###§*%^~.¨ ¨.~^%*§###
##§*%^~.¨¨ ¨¨.~^%*§##
#§*%^~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~^%*§#
§*%^~.¨¨¨¨ 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? ¨¨¨.~^%*§#
§*%^~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~^%*§
*%^~.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.~^%*
§*%^~.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.~^%*§
#§*%^~.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.~^%*§#
##§*%^~.¨¨ ¨¨.~^%*§##