¨¨¨¨¨^\==§ §==\^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^\@§ §@\^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~\@@# #@@\~~¨¨¨¨
¨^~\=@§@## ##@§@=\~^¨
¨^~\=@§@## ##@§@=\~^¨
¨^~\=@§@## 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? ##@§@=\~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=@@@ @@@=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~\=@§@## ##@§@=\~^¨
¨^~\=@§@## ##@§@=\~^¨
¨^~\=@@@@@ @@@@@=\~^¨
¨^~\=@§@## ##@§@=\~^¨