¨¨#¨##¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨######¨
¨¨###¨#¨¨¨ ¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨¨#
#¨#¨¨###¨¨ ¨¨¨##¨¨¨¨#
¨###¨#¨¨#¨ #¨¨#¨#¨¨¨#
##¨¨###¨## ##¨####¨¨#
¨¨#¨#¨¨##¨ 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? ¨¨¨#¨¨####
¨####¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨##¨#¨¨¨
¨#¨¨¨#¨¨¨¨ ##¨#¨###¨¨
¨##¨¨##¨¨¨ #¨####¨¨#¨
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ ¨##¨¨¨#¨##
#########¨ ¨#¨#¨¨###¨